Hey Deacon!

On May 8, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV by the College of Cardinals as the 266^th successor of St. Peter, making him the 267^th pope and the first from the United States and Peru (dual citizenship). Various news outlets have flooded us with all sorts of tidbits about Pope Leo XIV, Below is a collection of facts that I wish to share about Pope Leo XIV.
 

• Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph. His brother John says he knew that “from the time he could walk” that his brother was going to be a priest.

 

• His birthdate is September 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, commemorating the day that St. Helen located the relics of the True Cross of Christ in Jerusalem.

 

• He completed his high school studies at the minor seminary of the Augustinians in 1973 in Michigan. In 1977, he became a member of the Order of St. Augustine and took his solemn vows in 1981. 

 

• He completed a Master of Divinity degree at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and earned a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He went on to teach canon law in seminaries during his time in Peru.  

 

• He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, by Archbishop Jean Jadot in Rome. He served extensively in Peru from 1985 to 1998, working as a parish pastor, seminary teacher, and diocesan official. He was also part of the leadership of Caritas Peru, the Church’s charitable organization.

 

• He is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and proficient in Latin and German.

 

• After being elected the head of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, he returned to the U.S. in 1999. He was elected prior general of the Augustinians in 2001 and then reelected in 2007, serving as head of the order until 2013.

 

• Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator and then bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014 and 2015 respectively, and received episcopal consecration on Dec. 12, 2014, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Chiclayo.

 

• He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis on September 30, 2023. 

 

• While serving the Church in Peru, Francis made him a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2019 and then a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020.  In 2023, Francis made him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. 

 

• His episcopal motto — which is a bishop’s personal motto — is “In illo uno unum,” which means “In the one Christ we are one,” reflecting his commitment to unity.

 
Pope Leo XIV brings with him a rich blend of American roots, missionary zeal, and deep theological formation. His unique background — as a Chicago native, a Peruvian citizen, and the first Augustinian pope — promises a pontificate rooted in tradition and energized by global experience.
Author Bio:
 Deacon Dan Vaughn