Pope Leo XIV | The bridge-building pontiff

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost’s election as the 267th pontiff on May 8 made him the first U.S. citizen to hold this office, a development immediately highlighting his nationality as a central factor in his papacy. This historic elevation occurred after a swift conclave, the assembly of cardinals for electing a pope, reportedly concluding in just four ballots and placing the Chicago-born Prevost, 69, at the head of 1.4 billion Catholics.

Entering the conclave, Cardinal Prevost was widely regarded as a “dark horse” candidate, with public speculation favouring other papabili — cardinals considered potential candidates for the papacy — underscoring the old Roman saying, “he who enters the conclave a pope, leaves it as a cardinal.” His subsequent election highlighted the unpredictable nature of papal elections, as the faithful gathered on Thursday in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica reportedly asked each other “who is he?”.

Appearing on the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV, distinguished by wearing the traditional red mozzetta (a short cape) and stole (a liturgical vestment) that Pope Francis had set aside, addressed the assembled crowd for the first time. He initiated his message with the Italian greeting “Pace a voi“ (Peace be with you), subsequently switching to Spanish, and extended a specific greeting to his “beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru”, while his address emphasised themes of peace, dialogue, and a missionary church dedicated to those who suffer.

‘Saint of the north’

The ascent of an American to the papacy inevitably draws comparisons to Pope John Paul II, whose pontificate is widely credited with inspiring Poland’s Solidarity movement and significantly contributing to the challenge against communist doctrine of state atheism in Eastern Europe. U.S. far-right figures like Laura Loomer labelled Pope Leo as “worse than Francis”, “anti-Trump”, and a “Marxist”. Reminiscent of the hostile reactions from Polish communist authorities, who viewed John Paul II as a destabilising ideological threat in the 1980s, underscore the perceived power of the papacy to influence socio-political landscapes.

In 2015, while serving as Bishop of Chiclayo, Robert Prevost acquired Peruvian citizenship, a status following nearly two decades of missionary work that earned him the local affection of “saint of the north.” Peruvian President Dina Boluarte subsequently lauded his election as a “historic moment for Peru”, underscoring the dual U.S.-Peruvian identity that now positions Pope Leo directly on the North-South ecclesiastical and economic fault line.

Pope Francis appointed Robert Prevost as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops — head of the Vatican department responsible for advising on bishop appointments — in January 2023, playing an instrumental role in continuing Francis’s pastoral vision. However, as an Augustinian Order leader in 2012, Prevost had critiqued the “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families”, and later, as a Peruvian Bishop, he opposed government “gender ideology” in schools.

Pope Leo’s chosen papal name deliberately references Pope Leo XIII, whose 1891 open letter Rerum Novarum addressed workers’ rights, establishing a foundational text for modern Catholic social teaching. Robert Prevost earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, later achieving a Doctorate in Canon Law from Rome’s Angelicum with a thesis on “The Role of the Local Prior in the Order of Saint Augustine”. He was praised for direct pastoral engagement, such as founding a new parish for St. Rita in a poor district of Trujillo, Peru, and personally delivering aid to flood victims in Chiclayo.

While he was the Augustinian Provincial Prior in Chicago around 1999-2001, Robert Prevost approved James Ray, a priest accused of abuse, residing in a priory near a school, a decision later criticised by Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago. During his 2022 episcopacy in Chiclayo, Peru, complaints against priests led to accusations of mishandling by victim advocates group ‘SNAP’, despite diocesan assertions that protocols were followed and a subsequent Vatican official’s statement that no cover-up occurred.

Pope Leo ascends to the papacy as Donald Trump, who offered congratulations on his election, is well into his turbulent second U.S. presidential term, and as the Catholic Church, particularly in the U.S., experiences profound internal divisions.