At the fourth ballot, this afternoon, Thursday, May 8, the Conclave elected as Pope the Cardinal with dual citizenship, American and Peruvian, Robert Francis Prevost, who chose the name Leo XIV. The new pontiff, an Augustinian, was born on September 14, 1955 in Chicago; he was a missionary in Peru for a long time.

The first words of Pope Leo XIV
“Peace be with you all!” These are the first words of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, as of today the 267th Pope in the history of the Church, the first American Pontiff. “Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God,” said Pope Leo XIV, the name chosen by the Augustinian religious for his pontificate. “I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, all people, wherever they are, all peoples and every land marked by war,” continued the Holy Father: “Peace be with you! This is the peace of Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming, humble and persevering peace. It comes from God, who loves us all unconditionally.” “We still keep in our hearts that weak but ever courageous voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome,” recalled his predecessor: “The Pope who blessed Rome and gave his blessing to the entire world, that Easter morning. Allow me to follow up on that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all and evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united, hand in hand with God and with each other, let us move forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his light, humanity needs him as a bridge to be reached by God and his love. Let us also help each other to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, uniting all of us to be one people, always in peace.”

Who is the new Pope?
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. In 1977, he received a Bachelor of Science in mathematical sciences and a diploma in philosophy from Villanova University in Philadelphia and entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine, in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Saint Louis. On August 29, 1981, he professed solemn vows. He studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, earning a diploma in theology. At the age of 27, he was sent by the Order to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum). He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982. He obtained a licentiate in canon law in 1984, then was sent to work in the mission of Chulucanas, in Piura, Peru (1985-1986). In 1999 he was elected Prior Provincial of the Province of “Mother of Good Counsel” (Chicago). After two and a half years, the Ordinary General Chapter elected him Prior General, a ministry that the Order entrusted to him again in the Ordinary General Chapter of 2007. In October 2013 he returned to his province (Chicago) until Pope Francis appointed him, on November 3, 2014, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo (Peru). He was ordained Bishop on December 12, 2014 and became Bishop of Chiclayo on September 26, 2015. On April 15, 2020, the Pope appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Callao. Since January 30, 2023, he has been Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was created Cardinal in the Consistory of September 30, 2023.