Who Is the New Pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost? What to Know About the First American Pontiff

NEED TO KNOW

• On day two of the conclave, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church
• Prevost, whose papal name is Pope Leo XIV, makes history as the first American pope
• Pope Francis elevated him to be a cardinal in 2023

The Roman Catholic Church has found its next pope: Cardinal Robert Prevost, whose chosen name is Pope Leo XIV.

Over the course of the conclave — the secretive process of choosing a new pope — members of the College of Cardinals gathered in the Vatican for several rounds of voting. There were 133 voting cardinals, marking history as the most electors to date.

On day two of the conclave, white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney, signaling that a new pontiff had been chosen in the wake of Pope Francis' death on April 21.

Nearly one hour later, Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first American pope in history, walked onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and made his first public appearance to the world as Pope Leo XIV.

After his first words — "peace be with you" — he paid tribute to Pope Francis, saying that the late pontiff "blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world that morning of Easter."

"Allow me to follow up on that blessing," Prevost continued. "God loves us. God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail."

So, who is Cardinal Robert Prevost? Here's everything to know about Pope Leo XIV.

He was born in Chicago

Newly elected Pope Robert Francis Prevost arrives on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave in The Vatican on May 8, 2025.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty

Prevost was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Prevost was raised by his parents, Louis, an educator, and Mildred, a librarian, alongside his two siblings, Louis and John.

The new pontiff makes history as the first American pope, though he is also a dual citizen of Peru.

Sacred Heart University catholic studies professor Dr. Charlie Gillepsie told PEOPLE that the new pope's election is a "clear signal that the College of Cardinals felt the calling of the spirit to elect someone for the whole globe."

As for how he feels about the new pope, Gillepsie said he was "surprised and excited."

Notre Dame American studies and history professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings echoed the excitement about the first-ever US-born pope, saying, "It's a reminder that the church is a global one."

"He had really the best chance of any American ever because he was born in the United States, but he spent most of his life outside of the United States as a missionary, and also working in Italy, working at the Vatican," she told PEOPLE. "He's really a bridge builder among three different continents, which is perfectly consistent with what the church needs."

He attended Villanova University

US cardinal Robert Francis Prevost attends the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on April 19, 2025, in Vatican City.

Franco Origlia/Getty

In 1977, the new pope received a bachelor degree in mathematics from Villanova University. Per Villanova's website, the university is one of the two Catholic, Augustinian institutions of higher learning in the United States.

After graduating, he earned a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982, and was ordained as priest the same year.

Two years later, he earned his licentiate degree in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, followed by his doctorate degree in 1987.

In 2014, Villanova awarded him an honorary doctor of humanities degree.

Pope Francis elevated him to be a cardinal

Pope Francis appoints as new cardinal U.S-born prelate prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Robert Francis Prevost during the Ordinary Public Consistory for the Creation of new Cardinal at St. Peter's Square on Sept. 30, 2023, in Vatican City.

Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty

Prevost's papal election is a full-circle moment, as the former pope himself elected him to be a cardinal a few years earlier.

In 2023, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops from across the globe, and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He officially became a Cardinal in January 2024, per Vatican News.

Prior to that, Prevost was the leader of the Augustinian order after serving as the bishop of the city of Chiclayo in Peru.

During a May 2023 conversation with Vatican News, Prevost said that his life "changed a lot" going from being a missionary bishop in Latin America to leading the dicastery that helps the pope choose bishops.

"[It is] a very different mission from before, but also a new opportunity to live a dimension of my life, which simply was always answering 'Yes' when asked to do a service," he said. "With this spirit, I ended my mission in Peru, after eight and a half years as a bishop and almost twenty years as a missionary, to begin a new one in Rome."

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His papal name is Pope Leo XIV

The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025, in Vatican City.

Dan Kitwood/Getty

Upon stepping onto the balcony, Prevost officially revealed his papal name: Pope Leo XIV.

This isn't the first time that a pope would choose a new name upon taking their new title. Pope Francis, for example, was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

According to Vatican News, popes often choose names of their immediate or distant predecessors out of respect, admiration or recognition to mark continuity. However, it is also common for popes to use different names to "mark innovation."

Per Brittanica, Prevost's chosen name, Leo, follows a longtime tradition dating back to St. Leo I, who died in 461.

He has spoken out about "beliefs and practices" that are "at odds with the gospel"

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost addresses the crowd on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time in The Vatican on May 8, 2025.

TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty

Prevost is regarded by many as a centrist, per CBS News.

According to The New York Times, Prevost gave an address to bishops in 2012 in which he expressed disapproval with how Western news media and popular culture fostered "sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel."

Per the outlet, he cited the "homosexual lifestyle" and "alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children."

According to the outlet, while he was working as a bishop in Peru, he also opposed a government plan to implement more gender education in schools. The publication further reported that he has been praised for supporting Venezuelan immigrants.

More recently, Prevost has opposed Vice President JD Vance's views on several occasions.

"JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others," read the headline of a story the pope shared on X in February 2025.