Catholic Church: The new Pope Robert Francis Prevost from the USA

Also close to the human being and now at the head of the Catholic Church: Robert Francis Prevost is the 267th Pontifex. The 69-year-old archbishop from Chicago chose the Pope name Leo XIV. He will be the first American to lead the 1.4 billion members of the World Church.

His choice is considered a compromise – and at the same time as a signal of the unit. Prevost combines American origin, Latin American character and Roman leadership experience. He became the consensus candidate of a cardinal college that had to overcome cultural and church -political contrasts.

Born in Chicago in 1955 as the son of parents with French-Spanish-Italian roots, Prevost first studied mathematics before joining the Order of Augustin in 1977. In 1982 he was ordained a priest in Rome. He later received his doctorate in canon law.

From the mid -1980s, Prevost worked as a missionary in Peru. There he founded parishes, headed a seminar and was active in the bishop’s training. In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo, a diocese in the north of the country. During the political crises, he campaigned for stability.

In 2023, the promotion to the head of the mighty dicasterry for the bishops – the Vatican authority that selects bishops worldwide worldwide. The cardinal hat followed in the same year. Despite this key role, Prevost is said to have remained reserved, he was not looking for the medial spotlight. In church circles, he was considered pragmatic and moderate, writes the newspaper “La Repubblica”.

Prevost stands for continuity in the sense of Francis. He is considered one who listens, conveys and wants to change without polarizing. As the first American in the Petri chair, he comes from a country in which, according to Vatican, around 60 percent of the US population were Catholic in 2024. However, Catholicism is growing dynamically today, especially in Africa and Asia and not in the west.

His long experience in Latin America shapes Prevost. In Peru, where around two thirds of the 34 million inhabitants are Catholic, the church is deeply anchored in social and cultural life, supported by the constitution and a bilateral agreement with the Vatican.

Diplomat in the shadow of the past

In church circles, the new Pope is considered a pragmatic diplomat. When the so -called synodal path to the future of the church met in Rome in Rome in 2023, Prevost, together with Cardinal State Secretary Pietro Parolin, mediated between the German bishops and the Vatican.

But his career is not free of stress: he is accused of not consistently pursuing abuse cases in his time in Chicago and later as a bishop in Chiclayo. Prevost denies the allegations, the diocese rejected the allegations.

In many ways, Prevost showed closeness to the late Pontifex – which accuses him of more conservative voices. He is considered a moderate reformer without giving up beliefs. His attitude in environmental issues is particularly evident: Prevost, like Francis, has repeatedly spoken out for decisive action against climate change.

He is also considered a convinced supporter of the synod: again and again he has emphasized that the church must be more transparent and open to the voices of the faithful. This also includes strengthening the role of laypersons and changing the style of church management – for example by listening and less hierarchy.

At the same time, he rejects some reforms, for example the consecration of women for church offices. At the 2023 World Synod, he warned of “clericalization of women”. This is not a solution, but possibly a new problem stove. Women already have diverse central roles in the church.

The new Pope stands between north and south, between Rome and Periphery. Prevost’s biography – from Chicago to Peru to the Vatican leadership – makes him a mediator between cultures and generations. The world is now eagerly awaiting how the first American will lead the Catholic Church on the Pope Throne.