Pope Leo XIV became the first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church on Thursday, hailing from Chicago and breaking years of tradition that geared cardinals away from electing an American.

The pope, 69, was born Robert Francis Prevost in Dolton, Ill., to Louis Prevost, a superintendent of the Glenwood School District 167, and Millie Prevost, a librarian, according to South Cook News.

He attended Villanova University, which was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, and graduated in 1977 to join the Augustinian order of the Catholic priests.

He spent much of his adult life in Peru and has dual citizenship there. Pope Francis named him a Cardinal in 2023. His bio on the social platform X reads, “Católico, agustino, Obispo,” which translates to “Catholic, Augustinian, Bishop.”

The new pope is considered an ally of Francis, who made him the cardinal in charge of selecting and managing bishops around the world. He is committed to the poor and migrants, as Francis was, but it’s unclear what his is stance on inclusiveness toward LGBTQ Catholics, The New York Times reported.

He has broken barriers in........

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