In a historic moment for the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago-born prelate, was elected as the 267th pope on Thursday, becoming the first American to ascend to the papacy.

The announcement came as white smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that the 133 cardinal electors had reached a two-thirds majority in the conclave to succeed Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

Prevost, 69, took the name Pope Leo XIV, honoring his roots in the Order of Saint Augustine, where he has served as a priest, missionary, and leader.

His election marks a significant shift, breaking centuries of European dominance in the papacy and reflecting the global reach of the Catholic Church, which counts nearly 40% of its 1.4 billion members in Latin America, a region Prevost knows well from his decades of service in Peru.

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Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost’s journey to the Vatican began in the Midwest, where he was shaped by his family’s faith and the vibrant parish life of his youth. After earning a mathematics degree from Villanova University, he joined the Augustinians, later studying theology and canon law in Chicago and Rome. His missionary work in Peru, where he served as a parish pastor, seminary teacher, and bishop of Chiclayo, earned him a reputation as a pastor who “walks with the people,” a quality he emphasized in a 2023 interview with Vatican News: “We are often worried about teaching doctrine, but we risk forgetting that our first duty is to communicate the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus.”

As prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops since 2023, Prevost played a pivotal role in selecting bishops worldwide, aligning with Pope Francis’ vision of pastoral leadership over rigid doctrinal enforcement. His fluency in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Latin, along with his experience in Latin America, positioned him as a bridge between the Church’s diverse regions.

Prevost’s election has sparked joy among many American Catholics, who see it as a moment of pride and a call to deeper faith.

On issues like abortion, Prevost has not made explicit public statements, but his alignment with Pope Francis and traditional Catholic teaching suggests a firm stance against it, balanced by a pastoral approach that emphasizes mercy and forgiveness for women who have had abortions.

Prevost is who Pope Francis met with right before outspokenly pro-life Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland was removed from his duties. Strickland had called Joe Biden a “fake Catholic.”

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