The First American Pope

Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago has been elected as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th successor of St. Peter and the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church. The conclave concluded after two days, and the announcement came as a genuine surprise — American candidates had been mentioned but were not considered frontrunners. The Italian candidate had been the presumed favorite going in.

Who Pope Leo XIV Is

The new pope spent many years as a missionary bishop in Peru and previously served as the leader of the worldwide Augustinian religious order. Most recently, he was the head of the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops. He chose the name Leo XIV, which observers immediately noted as a significant statement — Leo XIII was the pope of Catholic Social Teaching who stood up for workers.

In his first public appearance on the balcony of St. Peter's, he greeted the crowd in Italian, Spanish, and English, calling for unity and dialogue. "We must be a synodal church, one which goes forward and which always seeks peace, charity, and to be close to those who suffer," he said. He invoked St. Augustine's phrase: "With you, I am a Christian; for you, I am a bishop."

The Political Crosscurrents