Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States, who has taken the papal name Pope Leo XIV, has been elected as the new leader of the Catholic Church, succeeding Pope Francis who passed away on April 21.
Cardinal Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV following a conclave, or papal election, which went through three rounds of voting starting on Wednesday, May 7.

Before becoming the 267th Pope, Prevost served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023. He was one of the Cardinals personally appointed by the late Pope Francis.

He also held the position of Archbishop of Chicago, overseeing the largest archdiocese in North America. The 69-year-old is also a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a region that is home to nearly 40 percent of the global Catholic population.

Born in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV makes history as the first American-born Pope. He holds dual citizenship: that of the United States and Peru.

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Pope Leo XIV has spent the majority of his ministry as a missionary in South America. In recent years, he has led the Vatican office responsible for the appointment of bishops.

Prior to becoming Bishop of Chiclayo, he served for ten years in Trujillo, Peru, and went on to lead the Diocese of Chiclayo from 2014 until 2023.

In an interview with Vatican News shortly after being named Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Cardinal Prevost expressed that he still viewed himself as a missionary.

"My calling, like that of every Christian, is to be a missionary — to proclaim the Gospel wherever one may be," he said at the time, as quoted by CNN.

According to The Telegraph, Cardinal Prevost is widely regarded as a reformist. He made a significant change by appointing three women to the voting panel that helps determine which bishops are recommended to the Pope.

Cardinal Prevost was personally selected by the late Pope Francis to head the Vatican's Dicastery that oversees the vetting and nomination of senior clergy worldwide.

He also serves as President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a role that keeps him in close contact with the Catholic hierarchy in the region, which remains a stronghold for the faith globally.