By John Ogunsemore
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was on Thursday elected as the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
Here are 10 facts about the 69-year-old pope.
1. Born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, Prevost is the first United States citizen elected as pope.
2. He was born to Louis and Mildred Prevost, who are of of French, Italian, and Spanish descent.
3. Prevost attended the Augustinian minor seminary in 1973 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977. He proceeded to gain a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, United States and both a Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
4. Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977, taking his first vows in 1978 and solemn vows in 1981. He was ordained a priest in Rome on June 19, 1982.
5. His early career included mission work in Peru in the mid ’80s to late ’90s. Prevost also holds a Peruvian passport and has been a Peruvian citizen since 2015.
6. In 1999, Prevost was elected provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, and from 2001 to 2013, he served as prior general of the worldwide Augustinian order for two six-year terms.
7. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and he was consecrated as titular bishop of Sufar on December 12, 2014. He became bishop of Chiclayo in 2015, serving until 2023, and also acted as apostolic administrator of Callao (2020–2021).
8. In January 2023, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as prefect of the Dicastry for Bishops, a powerful role overseeing the selection of bishops for Latin-rite dioceses worldwide, and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
9. Prevost was elevated to cardinal on September 30, 2023, and in early 2025, Francis promoted him to the senior rank of cardinal-bishops.
10. Following Pope Francis’ death on April 21, Prevost was elected as successor on May 8, adopting the papal name Leo XIV.