Robert Prevost, the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, addressed the crowd at St Peter’s Square for the first time as Pope Leo XIV.

Ishtartv.com – AP

Edited By  CURTIS YEE, KATARINA KRATOVAC and MICHAEL WARREN

May 8, 2025

Cardinal Robert Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV. The Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops was elected the first pope from the United States in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

In his first words as Pope Francis’ successor, uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo, 69, said, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization. He wore the traditional red cape of the papacy — a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013. He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English.

Who is Robert Prevost? The former pope, Francis, brought Prevost, 69, to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. As a result, Prevost has a prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals had.