What to Know About Robert Francis Prevost: The First American Pope

The Augustinian from Chicago has spent much of his time in Latin America.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost, appears on the central loggia balcony of St. Peter's Basilica for the first time after the cardinals concluded the conclave in the Vatican on May 8, 2025. Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, was elected pope on May 8, becoming Pope Leo XIV.

The Chicago-born prelate is the first American to be raised to the highest position in the Catholic Church.