Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Chicago-born and -raised, was elected as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on the second day of the Vatican Conclave, May 08, 2025, which is the Feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. The Prevost family is of American Creole lineage with ancestors who were Black, French, Spanish, and Italian
Naming himself Leo XIV, he greeted the people in St. Peter’s Square in Italian and in Spanish. His historic election marks the first time a US citizen was selected to lead the Catholic Church. In choosing the name Leo, he places himself both in the heart of the social justice traditions championed by Leo XIII and central to the mission of the Catholic Church in the modern world.
Leo XIV’s creole ancestry embodies the rich complex tapestry of US society and history, giving a powerful signal for his mission to the Americas as well as to the whole world.
Continuing the Apostolate of Pope Francis
In his inaugural address, Pope Leo XIV affirmed his commitment to continue the apostolate of mercy and the synodal process of dialogue across the global Church initiated by his predecessor Pope Francis. He especially emphasized the duty of the Church “to receive everyone through love and dialogue … meeting people where they are as we all walk the road of mercy toward the place God has made for us.”
In a May 8 statement, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called the appointment “one of the biggest moments in the modern history of our city. Pope Leo XIV will be a champion for workers all over the world. It’s only right that he was born and educated in the most pro-worker city in America. The Catholic Church has a strong tradition of standing up for the poor and the vulnerable, and I know that Pope Leo XIV will continue that tradition. This is a tremendous moment for our Catholic community and for all Chicagoans.”
Early life, education and leadership roles
Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 14, 1955. The Prevost family is of American Creole lineage with ancestors who were Black, French, Spanish and Italian. Prevost’s mother Mildred Martinez was born in Chicago. Her maternal ‘free people of color’ grandparents of Black-Spanish ancestry, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, are listed as Black in the 1990 New Orleans Census record for the Seventh Ward. According to the Vatican press release, Leo’s father, Louis Marius Prevost, had French and Italian roots and served in the Navy in WW II.
Prevost grew up in St. Mary of the Assumption parish near Dolton, Illinois, in the south suburbs of Chicago. He joined the Order of Saint Augustine and received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977.
He was ordained a priest and earned a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982. He holds a licentiate and a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. From 2001 to 2013, he served as the Prior General of the Augustinians.
Prevost rejected going to Harvard Law School in order to work with the poor of the Andes mountains in Peru where he learned to speak Quechua.
Missionary work
Prevost worked for over two decades in Peru, becoming a naturalized Peruvian citizen in 2015. He served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023, when Pope Francis made him a cardinal and appointed him as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Some major issues ahead for Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV faces many major issues as he assumes the reins of leadership over the entire Catholic Church with a membership of over 1.4 billion people. He has a strong record of affirming the rights of migrants and the working poor, as well as the need for the Catholic Church to reach out to all peoples in need. His record on clergy sexual abuse and his attitudes toward LGBTQ+ issues is less clear and remains to be thoroughly examined.
The finances of the Vatican are in dire straits. The Vatican is rich in treasures of artistic and historical value but very cash poor. The efforts of Pope Francis to bring transparency, accountability and reform to Vatican finances failed.
Finally, Pope Leo XIV has set for himself in his opening address the task of bringing peace to a world incessantly at war and in conflict. We wish him well.
Published in Windy City Times 09 May 2025 https://windycitytimes.com/2025/05/09/chicago-native-cardinal-robert-prevost-elected-first-american-pope-takes-name-leo-xiv/
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Nick Patricca is professor emeritus at Loyola University Chicago and member of PEN International San Miguel Center, MX.