Who is Robert Prevost, the US cardinal elected as new Pope Leo XIV?Topic:Religious Leaders1h ago1 hours agoThu 8 May 2025 at 8:55pmPope Leo XIV appears on the central loggia of St Peter's Basilica after being chosen the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, at the Vatican. (AP: Alessandra Tarantino)abc.net.au/news/who-is-pope-leo-xiv/105271844Link copiedShareShare articleRobert Prevost — the first pontiff born in the United States — has elected to become Pope Leo XIV.Pope Francis brought Prevost to the Vatican in 2023 as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.Pope Leo XIV, 69, had been a leading candidate for the papacy.The prospect of a US pope had long been taboo, given the country's significant geopolitical power.The Chicago native evoked his broad experience in his first public remarks as pope, speaking in Italian, then switching to Spanish, and saying not a word in English as he addressed the crowd in Saint Peter's Square.Loading...In his first words as Pope Francis's successor, uttered from the loggia of St Peter's Basilica, Leo said, "Peace be with you," and emphasised a message of "a disarmed and disarming peace" dialogue and missionary evangelisation.“Together, we must try to find out how to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogue, that’s always open to receive — like on this piazza with open arms — to be able to receive everybody that needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love,” Leo said in near-perfect Italian, mentioning the saint considered the first pope.He had prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals have.Prevost was twice elected prior general, or top leader, of the Augustinians, the 13th-century religious order founded by St Augustine. He served as the administrator and later archbishop of Chiclayo in 2024 and acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015.Why has 'Leo' been chosen?Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (AP: Alessandra Tarantino)The last pope to take the name Leo was Leo XIII, an Italian who led the church from 1878 to 1903. That Leo softened the church’s confrontational stance toward modernity, particularly in relation to science and politics, and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought.Vatican watchers said Prevost's decision to name himself Leo was particularly significant given the previous Leo's legacy of social justice and reform, suggesting continuity with some of Francis's chief concerns.“He is continuing a lot of Francis’s ministry,’’ said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the chair of religious studies at Manhattan University in the Bronx. Ms Imperatori-Lee said his election could send a message to the US church, which had been badly divided between conservatives and progressives, with much of the right-wing opposition to Francis coming from there."I think it is going to be exciting to see a different kind of American Catholicism in Rome,’’ she said.During his 12-year papacy, Francis sought to remake the US hierarchy, and with Prevost's help starting in 2023, named more pastorally minded bishops to replace culture warriors favoured by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II.Nuns react during the speech of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) (AP: Francisco Seco)Leo is expected to celebrate mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday and deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St Peter's, according to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni. The newly elected pope would also line up an audience with the media on Monday in the Vatican auditorium, the spokesperson said. Beyond that, he has a possible first foreign trip at the end of May — the late Pope Francis had been invited to travel to Türkiye to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a landmark event in Christian history and an important moment in Catholic-Orthodox relations. A low profile in RomeIn that job, he would have kept in regular contact with the Catholic hierarchy in the part of the world that counts the most Catholics.Pope Leo XIV, then-Bishop Robert Prevost, leads an anniversary celebration of the Diocese in Peru in 2024. (AP: Diocese of Chulucanas)Ever since arriving in Rome, Prevost has kept a low public profile, but he was well known to the men who count.Prevost presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms Francis made, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope. The bells of the cathedral in Lima, Peru's capital, tolled after Prevost's election was announced. People outside the church expressed their desire for a papal visit at one point.Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost joined the Order of St Augustine in 1977. He attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1977, and later earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982.APPosted 1h ago1 hours agoThu 8 May 2025 at 8:55pm, updated 30m ago30 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 10:08pmShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesAmerican Robert Prevost elected pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIVLIVEPhoto shows A man in religious robes looks down from a balconyPrice defection slammed as hostile Liberal takeover with Angus TaylorTopic:Political LeadershipPhoto shows Federal shadow minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Price standing and speaking outside a voting centre.Drained batteries and broken trust: Energy giant denounced over clean tech schemeTopic:Energy IndustryPhoto shows Man wearing baseball cap and khaki green t-shirt standing next to household Tesla batteryUS and UK strike deal as Trump slashes tariffs on British steel, carsTopic:TariffsPhoto shows Keir Starmer and Donald Trump shake hands and make eye contact Meeting with hate preacher triggers court order for notorious terror leaderTopic:ExtremismPhoto shows image of convicted terrorist Abdul BenbrikaPopular nowAmerican Robert Francis Prevost elected pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIVLIVEPhoto shows A man holds a sign in Italian which translates to 'up with the pope' at the Vatican in a huge crowdPrice defection slammed as hostile Liberal takeover with Angus TaylorTopic:Political LeadershipPhoto shows Federal shadow minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Price standing and speaking outside a voting centre.Drained batteries and broken trust: Energy giant denounced over clean tech schemeTopic:Energy IndustryPhoto shows Man wearing baseball cap and khaki green t-shirt standing next to household Tesla batteryRelated topicsHoly See (Vatican City State)PeruReligionReligious LeadersUnited StatesTop StoriesAmerican Robert Prevost elected pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIVTopic:Religious LeadersPhoto shows A man in religious robes looks down from a balconyPrice defection slammed as hostile Liberal takeover with Angus TaylorTopic:Political LeadershipDrained batteries and broken trust: Energy giant denounced over clean tech schemeTopic:Energy IndustryUS and UK strike deal as Trump slashes tariffs on British steel, carsTopic:TariffsMeeting with hate preacher triggers court order for notorious terror leaderTopic:ExtremismJust InIconic fishing competition draws anglers to the NT's remote Daly RiverTopic:Recreational Fishing5m ago5 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 10:32pmMurder charge laid after woman stabbed in Adelaide's northTopic:Homicide26m ago26 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 10:11pmIndia says military stations were attacked by Pakistani drones and missilesTopic:Unrest, Conflict and War38m ago38 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 10:00pmShearers struggle for work as wool production hits century-lowTopic:Wool Growing47m ago47 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 9:50pmMore Just InBack to top