Urooj Niazi 
american cardinal robert prevost elected as pope leo xiv
American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th Pope, now going by the name Leo XIV, in a historic moment for the Catholic Church. The 69-year-old from Chicago becomes the first American pontiff in the papacy’s history, but his strong roots in Peru have given him a Latin American outlook.
Born in 1955 from Spanish and Franco-Italian ancestry, Prevost immigrated to Peru in 1985, where he held many jobs with marginalized communities. His ten years as a parish pastor and seminary teacher in Trujillo won him Peruvian citizenship, and he was universally respected in the area.
Pope Leo XIV is likely to continue in many of his predecessor’s progressive pursuits. Lending his voice to cheering crowds from St. Peter’s Basilica, he made an oath to Pope Francis, saying, “We still hear in our ears the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed us.”
Several key positions on Leo XIV’s early side correspond to his predecessor:
- Hardcore fighter for migrants, the environment, and helping the poor
- Benevolent towards the women’s growing role in Church leadership
- Allows for blessings to same-sex couples, depending on the context of each locality
Choosing the name Leo, says experts, Prevost emits messages of devotion to social justice issues to remember the legacy of Pope Leo XIII, who fought for workers’ rights during the industrial revolution.
