Who Is New Pope Robert Francis Prevost, The Leader Of World’s 1.4 Billion Catholics?
Vatican City: The first American Pope, Robert Francis Prevost, has been selected as the new head of Vatican city, considered to be the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. The new Pope‘s name was picked on the second day of the 2025 papal conclave, by 133 red-robed cardinals who were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel. The first day of the conclave concluded without the election of a new Pope, as no candidate secured the required two-thirds majority vote.
The new Pope was elected following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, Easter Monday. The 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost from Chicago will be known as Pope Leo XIV and will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter.
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Prevost was born in 1955 in Chicago to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent. Graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1977, Prevost has extensive experience in heading religious matters as well as knowledge of global affairs. Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982.
He spent several years as a missionary in Peru, where he also served as the Archbishop of Chiclayo. In 2023, Francis brought Prevost to the Vatican to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, a crucial position in the Catholic Church. Earlier this year, Pope Francis appointed Prevost to the most senior rank of cardinal.
However, there were some strikes against the new Pope, especially the fact that he is an American. Given the geopolitical power already wielded by the United States in the secular sphere, there were reportedly some differences in the point.
According to Reverend John Lydon, a former roommate of his, Prevost is outgoing, down-to-earth and concerned about the poor, the BBC quoted. Notably, the new Pope is also in support of the reforms in the Catholic Church. In 2024, he told the Catholic News Service that women’s presence “contributes significantly to the process of discernment in looking for who we hope are the best candidates to serve the Church in episcopal ministry.”
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However, during the conclave, there were a large number of women worshipers, including nuns, outside the venue, the College of Cardinals, waiting for the result, as no women may have been allowed inside to elect the Pope. As per the Church, the Pope must be a priest, and since women are not ordained as priests, they cannot become Pope. The Church believes that Jesus chose only men to be his apostles.
Several high-profile figures, including former US president Barack Obama, have congratulated the new Pope. “This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith,” the former US president wrote.
