Who's Pope Leo XIV, the primary American pope?

[ad_1] Pope Leo XIV , 69, was elected to take up the papal seat on Thursday, on the second day of the papal conclave’s deliberations.

Born Robert Prevost on Sept. 14, 1955 in Chicago, Sick., he was a suspected front-runner to succeed Pope Francis after his passing late final month, although some reporting prompt his being an American may truly depend towards him on account of considerations that the U.S. may additional exert its geopolitical prowess via the spiritual chief.

Leo XIV was first dropped at the Vatican by Francis to function prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in January 2023, which is likely one of the most essential positions within the Catholic Church because it vets bishop nominations issued globally.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of the U.S., seems on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on the Vatican, Could 8, 2025. (Reuters/Claudia Greco)

LIVE UPDATES: CARDINAL ROBERT PREVOST ANNOUNCED AS FIRST AMERICAN POPE, TAKING NAME LEO XIV

Francis then elevated him to the place of Cardinal in September 2023.

Leo was reported to be carefully aligned to Francis's teachings as chief of the Catholic Church, significantly when it got here to his positions concerning the setting, outreach to the poor and migrants, and opening the Catholic Church to embrace extra followers.

Earlier than making it to the best place afforded within the Catholic Church, he first entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in Saint Louis, in 1977, which basically marked his interval of coaching earlier than he took his "holy orders."

In August 1981, he gave his solemn vows, and by 1982 he was ordained as a priest.

By 1985 he joined the Augustinian mission in Peru , the place he served as chancellor of the Territorial Prélature of Chulucanas for one 12 months.

Pope Francis appoints as new cardinal U.S-born prelate prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Robert Francis Prevost throughout the Atypical Public Consistory for the Creation of recent Cardinal at St. Peter's Sq. on September 30, 2023, in Vatican Cit. Pope Francis holds a consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals, the consistory falls earlier than the beginning of the Synod on Synodality, set to happen in October. (Photograph by Vatican Media by way of Vatican Pool/Getty Photographs)

CARDINAL ROBERT PREVOST ANNOUNCED AS FIRST AMERICAN POPE, TAKING NAME LEO XIV

Between 1987 and 1988, he returned to the U.S., the place he served as pastor for vocations and director of missions for the Augustinian Province of Chicago, earlier than he returned to Peru for an additional 10 years to move the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo and educate Cannon Legislation.

Ultimately, he made his manner again to his hometown, the place, in 1999, he was elected provincial prior of the "Mom of Good Counsel" in Chicago.

Leo would go on to be elected twice as leader of the Augustinian religious order , a thirteenth century order based by St. Augustine.

He had caught the eye of Francis, who, after turning into pope in 2013, moved Leo again to Peru in 2014 to function the administrator and ultimately archbishop of Chiclayo.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the US, seems on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on the Vatican, Could 8, 2025. (Reuters, Stoyan Nenov)

CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE FOX NEWS APP

Leo obtained his Peruvian citizenship in 2015, the place he remained till he was moved to the Vatican in 2023.

Throughout his closing years in Peru, Leo additionally served as vice-president of the everlasting council of the Peruvian Bishops’ Convention from 2018 to 2023, which probably helped him safe his position as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops underneath Francis.