Robert Prevost made history Thursday when he became the first American Pope after less than 25 hours of voting in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
President Donald Trump and world leaders congratulated Pope Leo XIV shortly after the Chicago native addressed the cheering crowds, fondly remembering his predecessor, Francis.
“We still hear in our ears the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis, who blessed us,” he said.
Born to immigrant parents of French, Italian, and Spanish descent in 1955, Prevost worked as an altar boy at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Chicago before graduating high school in 1973 with a commendation for impressive academic results.
Four years later, Robert earned a degree in mathematics at Villanova University and joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1978.
The Pope-to-be became a priest in 1982 then joined a mission to Peru in 1985 spending several year as a local parish pastor and a teacher at a Trujillo seminary.
Pope Francis named Prevost the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru a year after he became pontiff. He reached the archbishop position in 2023 before being promoted to the cardinal within a few months.
