Pope Leo XIV - Common Man turned Pope

Could it really be? An American as pope?

The answer is yes!

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois at Mercy Hospital to a devout Catholic family, but an unusually mixed family for those days.

His father, a World War II veteran for the United States Navy, was a school administrator in the nearby suburb of Glenwood. His family background was Italian and French. 

His mother, on the other hand, was a classic New Orleans gumbo mix, with Louisianian Creole, French, Spanish, Haitian, and African roots. Some sources even add in roots from the Dominican Republic. But some of these claims are from non-Vatican sources so we will have to surely add in some and leave some other nationalities out.

Growing up just south of Chi-Town in Dolton, Robert Prevost would altar serve at St. Mary of the Assumption Church. 

This Catholic upbringing at the altar made the young Illinoisan a prime candidate for the priesthood.

Thus, he would leave his native state and travel across Lake Michigan to Holland, Michigan, where he attended St. Augustine Seminary High School under the Order of Saint Augustine (Augustinians). 

Having earned membership into the National Honor Society, the young Mr. Prevost would look to other activities to excel in such as Student Council, Speech and Debate, and the Yearbook. 

The year he was in charge as the editor, St. Augustine Seminary achieved second place nationally in the critique and contest by New York City's Ivy League juggernaut, Columbia University.

These skills propelled him to the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the famous Augustinian university, Villanova.

While a Wildcat, Robert Prevost would earn his Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics in 1977. 

Seeking further clerical studies, the now college graduated Mr. Prevost would enter the Order of Saint Augustine as a novice, living at Immaculate Conception Church in the St. Louis neighborhood Compton Heights across the Mississippi River in Missouri.

He would take his first vows there in 1978, and then his solemn vows in 1981.

Robert Prevost then would head back to his native Chicago for his Master's of Divinity at the Catholic Theological Union in the exclusive Hyde Park. 

As a native Chicagoan from the South Side, he did not just spend 1982 studying, rather he would teach math and physics at the Augustinian Ashburn high school called St. Rita of Cascia.

His ordination happened later that year in Rome at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica as Mr. Prevost became Father Robert Prevost, O.S.A.

He would continue his studies now in Rome at the Pontifical College of Saint Thomas Acquinas earning a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1984, and later coming back for a Doctor of Canon Law in 1987.

Between these two degrees, Father Prevost had accepted to join the Augustinian mission in Peru serving as chancellor in the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas in 1985 and 1986 (Diocese of Chulucanas since 1988).

He came back to Peru in 1988 to lead the Augustinian Seminary in the coastal city of Trujillo, while also teaching canon law as the prefect of studies in the Archdiocese of Trujillo Seminary.

Establishing a parish on the outskirts of the city called Saint Rita and administering the Parish of Our Lady of Montserrat, he would also serve at the top of the Archdiocese such as being a member of the College of Consultors to advise the archbishop and choose a new archbishop when necessary.

Additionally, he served as a regional ecclesiastical court judge.

These roles made Father Prevost, O.S.A., a versatile clergy member destined for the Halls of the Vatican.

Unknown to most people, the Catholic Church has clergy and other members of religious life that specialize in everything!

When the Holy See makes a ruling on anything science, cultural, art, or other subjects, they do so with a host of accomplished clerics.

To have one that specializes in law, math, and physics means to have a person that can master policy against often critical secular discourse.

Father Prevost was elected in 1998 to become the Provincial of the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel based in Chicago, where he returned to in 1999. 

Yet, this stint was short for in 2001 and again in 2007, he was elected as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine.

He would continue roles in Chicago after this time as director of formation in the Convent of Saint Augustine in Chicago and as councilor and provincial vicar of the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.

This first global leadership post for Father Prevost, O.S.A. felt quite large for a non-bishop, and at the conclusion of his consecutive six year terms, Pope Francis would appoint him Titular Bishop of Sufar and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in 2014.

What this accomplished is two fold. First, the Diocese of Chiclayo on the northwest coast of Peru needed a temporary leader with the skills of a bishop. Secondly, Robert Prevost needed to be elevated to a bishop because of his expertise and leadership capabilities.

Thus, the now Bishop Prevost became bishop over a “Titular See”, a former diocese no longer existing except in name and Chiclayo got a bishop to temporarily administer them.

Yet, having done such a good job, Bishop Prevost, O.S.A. would become Bishop of Chiclayo a year later anyway and would also earn Peruvian citizenship.

Displaying diocesan leadership skills as bishop, Pope Francis became impressed with his newly naturalized South American compatriot and would make him a member of the Congregation for the Clergy in 2019.

When the central coast Diocese of Callao needed a temporary leader, Bishop Prevost was called in to be their Apostolic Administrator (2020).

That same year, Pope Francis made him a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

Domestically, Bishop Prevost would serve on the permanent council and as President of the Commission for Education and Culture for the Episcopal Council of Peru. He also would be an important member on the Economic Commission due to his outspoken critiques of the economic situation plaguing many of his fellow parishioners.

Having met personally with Pope Francis while in Peru, Bishop Prevost was asked to go to higher roles in Rome, but declined to stay in Peru when student protests turned bloody.

His love for the Peruvian people compelled him to stay which could be heard in his first papal address Thursday night.

Yet, Rome came calling again and he would be made an Archbishop, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and the President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America in January 2023. 

These positions brought about many key decisions for Archbishop Prevost, O.S.A. on which clergy members to make bishops, on which bishops should be forced to resign, on the direction of the Church in Latin America, and so forth.

In early 2024, Archbishop Prevost was created a Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Monica degli Agostiniani in Rome (Augustinian Chapel of Saint Monica), thus becoming Cardinal Prevost, O.S.A., a prince of the Catholic Church and a Cardinal-elector for future conlaves.

He would go on to serve as a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith, Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Dicastery for the Clergy, Dicastery for Culture and Education, Dicastery for Legislative Texts, and a member on the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State.

Cardinal Prevost was now one of the highest ranking officials in all of the Catholic Church. He would even participate in some of the Apostolic Journeys of Pope Francis, and be a key leader in the Synod of Bishops.

Then, on February 6, 2025, Cardinal Prevost was elevated to Cardinal-Bishop of the Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano, the highest one can get in the Church without being pope.

Yet when Pope Francis passed away, Cardinal Prevost was not only not one of the favored cardinals to become pope, he was not even in the top list of US-born cardinals to become pope according to the experts.

Yet, after two days of Conclave 2025, white smoke came billowing out for the world to see.

The rest of the world outside the College of Cardinals and other select officials waited just over an hour to hear the Habemus papam from the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica.

From there, Cardinal Protodeacon, Dominique Mamberti, proclaimed the name Prevost and announced he had chosen the papal title Leo XIV!

Just over a half hour later, Robert Francis Prevost appeared to the world for the first time as Pope Leo XIV.

He became the first pope born in the United States of America, the first pope born in North America, the first pope who is a Peruvian and USA citizen, the first pope from the Order of Saint Augustine, and just the second pope all-time from the Americas.

Seen as a moderate, Pope Leo XIV picked the perfect name in reference to Pope Leo XIII's (1878-1903) encyclical Rerum Novarum, which advocated for a balanced approach In economics at the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching.

Pope Leo XIV will become just the second native English-speaker as pope following Pope Adrian IV (1154-1159). Yet, the English spoken back then was Middle English, more closely resembling English’s Germanic roots.

He will also be the first pope born after World War II.

Pope Leo XIV will bring about expert communication into the papacy, as a fluent speaker of not just English, but also of Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, with extensive knowledge in Latin and German.

His expertise of the world's lingua franca may prove most important as previous popes have had a lot of their words mistranslated by media personalities, of which English media is most popular.

He has stressed the necessity to use social media prudentially by not fueling division while advocating for greater deliberation, determination, caution, and clarity. 

This has been reflected in his own social media such as his personal twitter: @drprevost. While we are on the topic, this makes Pope Leo XIV the first pope to have his own Twitter (X) personal profile.

On top of this, he is quite a normal person.

Yes, Pope Leo XIV is proud of the university and city he grew up in.

Looking at tweets and photos of him from the past, you can see joyous celebration when Villanova has won their recent national championships in NCAA Men's Basketball and when his beloved Chicago White Sox won the 2005 World Series.

While probably a Bulls fan, Rev. Robert P. Hagan, O.S.A, a chaplain for Villanova's athletics department has commented how he and Pope Leo XIV used to talk about the New York Knicks who have become nicknamed the Nova Knicks due their high number of former Villanova players. Back when they used to talk, the players were Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart, with this year's team featuring Mikal Bridges who replaced DiVincenzo in the Nova Knicks three. Pope Leo XIV's election has thus become extremely popular in New York with Knicks fans who believe it is a sign from God that they will win their third NBA championship.

He has also enjoyed soccer while in Peru reportedly supporting Allianz Lima although disputes have come from this claim as many assume he would support Chiclayo's Club Juan Aurich. 

And as an athlete himself, he mostly enjoys tennis, reportedly declaring himself a high-level amateur tennis player in a joking manner.

In fact, the most controversial moments to come after his election were the battles between the Cubs and White Sox fans who both have claimed him, a tradition that follows all famous Chicagoans. Perhaps he likes both? Or is that worse?

And adding to this scandal is his further mixed background by a father who is a St. Louis Cardinals fan and a mother who is a Chicago Cubs fan. I was not aware marraige was legal between Cardinals and Cubs fans. Perhaps Pope Leo XIV's choice of the White Sox was his first diplomatic action to stay close to both parents?

Culturally, Pope Leo XIV regularly plays with his brother, John, in Wordle and Words With Friends, while also being a keen movie enjoyer. Apparently, Pope Leo watched Conclave before experiencing the event for his first time, similar to many people around the world.

And apparently he is even a good cook, although it is unknown if he likes Chicago-style pizza or another version. This is yet, another one of Pope Leo XIV's "normal controversies".

But, away from culture and economics, he has been one to strive for evangelization and true belief in Jesus Christ.

He has publicly stated how belief in God, in Jesus, must come before administration. 

This true belief in our Faith is something he has sought to expand out past the horizons through missionary work.

It is something often lost when one enters the Vatican City, for one begins to play with realism more, shedding away from pure belief.

He also has become an expert in leadership, an important skill as Sovereign of the Vatican City State and Holy See.

Spending the last few years under Pope Francis extended his already impressive resume as global leader of the Augustinians. He not only learned the demands of the job, but how to approach diplomacy with foreign leaders.

Additionally, his time in Peru saw him organize many aid drives with Caritas to fight catastrophic flooding, a dengue fever outbreak, and COVID-19. It was this latter pandemic that he used his connections to obtain two oxygen plants that helped save many lives.

Yet, it is his focus on stability that will likely keep the Church grounded in areas where question marks have arisen in recent years. 

For he is a balanced man focused on Catholic Social Teaching and doing good to others, rather than an idealogue seeking to prove himself right.

May 8, 2025 will forever go down in the history books for all Catholics, for we have our new pope, just a common man from the suburbs.

Alleluia, Alleluia.