Robert Francis Prevost is Pope Leo XIV
The cardinal from Chicago was elected on the fourth ballot: “I wish for peace to come to your families, to all nations, and to the whole earth. May peace be with you”
Robert Francis Prevost became the 267th Pontiff. Pope Francis’s successor was born in Chicago, USA, on September 14, 1955, and took the name Leo XIV. In his first address, he spoke of “world peace” and expressed “gratitude to Francis.”
Forty thousand people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to welcome the new Pontiff, whose election was marked by the appearance of white smoke as early as the fourth ballot, as was the case with the election of Ratzinger and Luciani. This election was one of the fastest in the last 150 years. Prevost became the first Pope from the United States. He has Italian and French roots on his father’s side and Spanish roots on his mother’s side. An Augustinian by order, he was a missionary in Peru, then in Chicago became Prior of the Order of St. Augustine. He was later appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, again in Peru, and in 2023 was summoned to Rome by Pope Francis, who elevated him to the rank of cardinal. At the Vatican, Prevost assumed the position of Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
He will have to lead the Church during a particularly difficult period and work to help overcome what his predecessor called “World War III in pieces.”
The word “peace” came up more than once in the first prayer of Leo XIV: “This is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd. I wish for peace to come to your families, to all nations, and to all the earth. May peace be with you. Unarmed, disarming, humble world. God loves us all, unconditionally. The faint voice of Pope Francis still echoes in our ears as he blessed Rome and the world on Easter Day. Let me continue the same blessing. God loves us, God loves you all. And evil will not prevail: we are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, hand in hand with God and with each other. We are Christ’s disciples, Christ goes before us. The world needs His light. Mankind needs Him as a bridge over which God and His love can come. Help us build bridges through dialog to always be at peace. Thank you, Pope Francis.”
