In the conclaves following the death of Pope Francis, the cardinals elected a new bishop of Rome, Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost, as the 267 successor of St. Peter.
Biography of the new Pope Leo XIV
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a former prefect of the influential Dicastery for Bishops, is a Chicago-born prelate whose views are close to those of Pope Francis. He spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being elected superior general of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms.
He was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in 1977 and made his solemn vows in 1981.
His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, a Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Institute of Chicago, and a Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. His doctoral dissertation was on “The Role of the Local Prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.”
His career in the Church was marked by significant services and achievements. After being ordained a priest in 1982, Prevost joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and served as Chancellor of the Chulucanas Territorial Prelature from 1985 to 1986.
From 1987 to 1988 he was in the United States as Commissary for Vocations and Director of Missions of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, before returning to Peru, where for the next ten years he directed the Augustinian Seminary in Trujillo and taught Canon Law at the diocesan seminary, where he was also Prefect of Studies. During this period he also held numerous other offices: parish priest, diocesan official, director of formation, lecturer in the seminary, and judicial vicar.
In 1999, he returned to Chicago and was elected prior provincial of the “Mother of Good Hope” Province in the archdiocese. Two and a half years later, he was elected superior general of the Augustinians, a position he held for two terms, until 2013.
In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru. He became Bishop of Chiclayo in 2015. During this time, he also served as Vice-President and Member of the Permanent Council of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference from 2018 to 2023.
During this period, Peruvian bishops are said to have played a key role in preserving institutional stability due to political crises that led to the overthrow of several presidents.
In 2020 and 2021, the Prevost served as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Callao in Peru.
Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in January 2023 – a position of extreme importance as it is responsible for appointing bishops. He held this position until the death of Pope Francis on 21 April 2025. Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of Cardinal on 30 September 2023.
