PROFILE - Who is Robert Prevost, the 1st American pope

ISTANBUL

Robert Prevost has been elected as the new pope, the first American ever to ascend to the papacy.

Sixty-nine-year-old cardinal will take the name Pope Leo XIV marking the first time the name "Leo" has been used since the 19th century.

Emerging at the central balcony of St. Peter‘s Basilica after a white smoke rose from Sistine Chapel on Thursday, Pope Leo’s first words was to call for peace and “building bridges.”

"Peace be with all of you,” said the newly elected pontiff, following the Pope Francis’s death on April 21.

Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost spent his childhood and adolescence in the US where he studied Mathematics, Philosophy and Theology before being sent to Rome by his superiors at the Catholic Theological Union.

He was ordained a priest in 1982 in Rome and obtained his licentiate in 1984.

Prevost was sent to an Augustinian mission a year later in Peru where he then served as community prior, formation director, professor and judicial vicar between 1988 and 1998.

Returning to Chicago in 1999, he was elected provincial prior of the Augustinian Province of “Mother of Good Counsel,” and two and a half years later elected as prior general of the Augustinian.

Prevost’s election reflects his deep ties to Latin America – especially Peru – as he also holds a Peruvian nationality.

In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him to apostolic administrator in Peru where a year later appointed as the bishop of Chiclayo.

Prevost’s dedication led him to be brought back by the late pontiff to Rome in 2023 where he assumed the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, promoted with the rank of archbishop with the power of being responsible for selecting bishops.

The very same year, Prevost was created Cardinal by Francis.

Following path of Francis

Prevost is known to have participated in the late pontiff’s recent Apostolic Journeys and to share similar visions regarding the environment and reaching out to marginalized communities.

With 80% of the cardinals in the conclave having been appointed by Francis, his election is viewed as a decision in favor of continuity, especially along the reformist path established by the former pope.

Leo XIV's connections to Latin America and his pastoral emphasis indicate a continuation of Francis' legacy.

Critical of US administration’s immigration policies

Despite his American roots, his Peruvian nationality makes him more of an international candidate especially considering his stance toward the US administration.

According to media reports, the new pontiff has been critical of US President Donald Trump and his immigration policies.

Prevost is also reported to have criticized the US Vice President JD Vance’s statements on prioritizing own community before the rest of the world, calling it “wrong.”