He will be known as Pope Leo XIV. Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, has been elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Prevost ...

Your support helps us continue our mission of providing thoughtful, independent journalism. With your contribution, we can maintain our commitment to principled reporting on the issues that matter most.

Xavier Junior Faviana Azalde Castro was confirmed by Pope Leo XIV when he was the arch bishop of Chicaylo, Peru.

“You know that I am very happy in Peru,” the missionary, then-Bishop Robert Prevost, recalled telling Francis. “But if you ask me to take on a new role in the church, I will accept.”

Peruvians have expressed pride and surprise in one of their own becoming pontiff. Augustinians in the country have expressed similar surprise — recalling Leo as an unassuming prelate, who prioritized the poor,

Robert Prevost’s Catholic roots were planted in Chicago’s south side suburbs, where he grew up playing “pretend priest” and embodies the spirit of a “second Pope

Robert Prevost, the choice of the world's Catholic cardinals to serve as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church, is the first pope from the United States and a relative unknown on the global stage.Aged 69 and originally from Chicago,