The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord Robert Francis Prevost

Robert Francis Prevost, 69, will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter and he will be known as Leo XIV and is the first American to fill the role of pope

Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982. 

He moved to Peru three years later and returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a prior in his home city.  The Pope also spoke of his role in the Augustinian Order.

In 2014, Francis made Prevost Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru and is well known to cardinals because of his high-profile role as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Latin America. 

He became archbishop in January 2023 and within a few months Francis made him a cardinal. 

In choosing the name Leo, Prevost has signified a commitment to dynamic social issues, according to experts