“Habemus Papam!” We have a Pope.

We now know who the new Pope is — Robert Francis Prevost, now forever known as Leo XIV. He is the first American Pope and the second pontiff to hail from the Americas. At age sixty-nine, he is the second youngest pope in the modern era, with Saint John Paul II having reached the papacy at age 58.

In his first "Urbi et Orbi," an apostolic address and blessing to the City of Rome and the world, Pope Leo XIV gave a special greeting to “my dear diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru.” Having spent years working in Peru’s poorest communities, the new Pope’s love for that country became so strong that he became a naturalized citizen.

Pope Leo XIV is also a former leader of the Augustinians, the religious order founded by St. Augustine. In his inaugural remarks, he described himself as “a son of St. Augustine ... who said, ‘With you I am a Christian, for you, I am a bishop.’”

As a leader of the Augustinians, the new Pope has traveled the world, becoming fluent in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and French in addition to his native English. Having spent so much time overseas, he is truly our first international Pope.

In January 2023, Pope Francis called Robert Prevost to Rome to name him as

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