VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinal Robert Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV. The Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops was elected the first pope from the United States in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.
In his first words as Pope Francis ’ successor, uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo, 69, said, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization. He wore the traditional red cape of the papacy — a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013. He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English.
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Spanish prime minister congratulates ‘the entire Catholic church’
Pedro Sánchez cheered the election of Pope Leo XIV, saying in a post on X: “May your pontificate contribute to strengthening dialogue and the defense of human rights in a world in need of hope and unity.”
Pope Leo XIV’s first appointments have been set
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni says:
1. Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass on Friday morning at 11 a.m. with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.
2. He plans to deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica
3. And he plans to hold an audience with the media on Monday in the Vatican auditorium
The Bushes are delighted over an American pope
Former U.S. President George W. Bush said he and his wife, Laura, are “delighted” to congratulate former Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election to become pope.
“This an historic and hopeful moment for Catholics in America and for the faithful around the world,” Bush said in a statement. “We join those praying for the success of Pope Leo XIV as he prepares to lead the Catholic church, serve the neediest, and share God’s love.”
Pope Francis clearly had his eye on Prevost
In many ways, Francis saw Prevost as his heir apparent. But there had long been a taboo against electing a pontiff from a country whose geopolitical power loomed so large in the secular sphere. Prevost, a Chicago native, was seemingly eligible because he’s also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.
His selection is also enormously significant because of its potential impact on the future of the U.S. Catholic Church, which has been badly divided between conservatives and progressives. With Prevost’s help at the help of the bishop vetting office, Francis embarked on a 12-year project to rein in the traditionalists in the United States, which is terrifically important to the global church financially.
What significance might the name Leo have for a pope?
Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru before taking over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, chose Leo XIV for his papal name.
Leo XIII, an Italian who led the church from 1878 to 1903, softened Catholicism’s confrontational stance toward modernity — especially science and politics — and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism.
The name “is a deep sign of commitment to social issues. I think it is going to be exciting to see a different kind of American Catholicism in Rome,’’ said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the chair of religious studies at Manhattan University in the Bronx.
Trump says ‘it’s such an honor for our country’
Trump spoke to reporters outside the West Wing, saying that for the new pope to be American, “What greater honor can there be?”
“We’re a little bit surprised and we’re happy,” Trump added.
US Secretary of State sends his greetings
Marco Rubio, a Catholic, issued a statement expressing his “heartfelt congratulations” to the new pope during “a moment of profound significance” for the church.
“The papacy carries a sacred and solemn responsibility,” Rubio’s message said. “May the Holy Spirit impart wisdom, strength, and grace as he shepherds the Church. The United States looks forward to deepening our enduring relationship with the Holy See with the first American pontiff.”
A new pope sends greetings to his faithful in Peru
Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time as pope, Leo XIV addressed in Spanish the people of Chiclayo, which sits sits just 9 miles (14 km) away from Peru’s northern Pacific coast and is among the country’s most populous cities.
“Greetings… to all of you, and in particular, to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith,” he said.
What is a core value for Augustinian priests?
A religious order is a community of Catholics — which can include priests, nuns, monks and even lay people — dedicated to a particular type of mission and spirituality. A core value for the Order of St. Augustine that the new pope belongs to is to “live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.”
Pope Francis was the first pope from the Jesuit religious order ever, and the first in more than a century and a half to come from any religious order. The previous one was Gregory XVI (1831-1846), a Camaldolese monk. In all, 34 of the 266 popes have belonged to religious orders — and six of them before Leo XIV were Augustinians, according to America, a Jesuit magazine.
The idea of a US pontiff was taboo. Prevost overcame it
Pope Francis brought Prevost, a Chicago native, to the Vatican in 2023 to lead the office that vets bishop nominations, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.
He kept a low public profile in Rome, but was well known to the men who count. Significantly, he 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. In early 2025, Francis again showed his esteem by appointing Prevost to the most senior rank of cardinals.
Back in Prevost’s old diocese in Chiclayo, Peru, the Rev. Fidel Purisaca Vigil said Prevost would have breakfast with his fellow priests after saying his prayers each day. “No matter how many problems he has, he maintains good humor and joy,” Purisaca said in an email.
The pope’s first words
“Peace be with you all. Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts to reach your families to all people everywhere to all the earth: peace be with you.”
Cathedral bells ring out in Lima, Peru
Prevost’s election as pope is swelling the pride of Peruvians.
“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said elementary school teacher Isabel Panez, who happened to be near the cathedral in Peru’s capital when the news was announced. “We would like him to visit us here in Peru.”
Trump congratulates new pope
The U.S. president posted his reaction on his Truth Social social media platform.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
New pope led order dedicated to the poor and service
The new pope was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization.
The order’s requirements and ethos are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.
The order works in about 50 countries, according to its website, promoting a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others.
Pope Leo XIV’s first message: Peace and dialogue ‘without fear’
In his first words, Pope Leo XIV, history’s first American pope Robert Prevost, said “Peace be with you.”
From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, he recalled that he was an Augustinian priest, but a Christian above all, and a bishop, “so we can all walk together.”
He spoke in Italian and then switched to Spanish, recalling his many years spent as a missionary and then archbishop of Chiclayo, Peru.
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