Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from the U.S. is the new Pope and takes the name Pope Leo the 14th. He’s the first American Pope in history. The 69-year-old was born in Chicago and attended Villanova in Philadelphia. He was in Peru for two decades, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen of the country. He’s been serving in the Vatican where he oversaw the selection of new bishops. He’s seen as a “centrist.”
The papal conclave took two days to select Cardinal Roberto Francis Prevost as Pope Leo the 14th. Church historians say Prevost must have quickly impressed his fellow cardinals during the secretive process. While prevost hails from America, the fact that he spent 20 years in Peru, suggesting the Cardinals saw him as a Pope for the world. The late Pope Francis brought Prevost back to Rome in 2023.