Holy history: First American pope is chosen to lead the Catholic Church

Cathedral bells tolled in Santa Fe as New Mexicans joined Roman Catholics worldwide in sharing excitement and shock at the election of the first pope from the United States.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, now known to the world as Pope Leo XIV, is the first American in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church to be elected pope by the 135 members of the College of Cardinals late Thursday evening in Vatican City.

A candidate must receive at least two-thirds of the votes to become pope, and the conclave chose Leo XIV in just two days, one of the shortest decisions in papacy history.

Abbott Joel Garner of the Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey said it was “quite an extraordinary phenomenon” that an American cardinal was selected.

“I think he knows how important the United States is in the world at the moment in terms of the issues that face us,” Garner said, “so his emphasis on peace while we’re in a world that is not at peace is very important.”

The pope is in charge of leading the Catholic Church, which has over 1.4 billion followers worldwide. As pope, Leo XIV will preserve and teach the Christian faith, influencing the world’s Catholics. Leo XIV will also oversee the appointment of bishops across the world.

“We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming,” Leo XIV said in Italian to a crowd of thousands who watched the pope make his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday.

What’s in a name?

Many religious leaders and scholars noted how striking it was that the pope selected the name Leo XIV, stating that it signaled his views and ideals moving forward. Pope Leo XIII, head of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903, was known for the 1891 encyclical Rerum novarum, an open letter that addressed the condition of the working class and advocated for labor rights. Leo XIII was a figure of the Catholic social justice tradition. It is not required for a pope to change his name, but every pontiff in the last 470 years has done so to honor a predecessor and signal an intention to follow in their footsteps.

“I think it’s significant that he chose the name Leo, and that is giving us a clue as to where he’s going,” said John Sitler, a religious studies teacher at Albuquerque’s Menaul School. “The famous encyclical statement really advocated for worker rights and social justice, and I think that shows where this new American pope sees a focus of the church should be.”

Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester welcomed the newly chosen pope with open arms.

“I really hope he continues to do what Pope Francis did, and that is to promote the Second Vatican Council,” the archbishop said. “I think the pope is going to be a unifier and try to break down the barriers and promote peace because Christ prayed earnestly for peace.”

Leo XIV was one of the younger candidates for the title of pope, something that people hope will bridge the gap between the younger generations and the Catholic Church.

Controversies

While Leo XIV can be considered a centrist in comparison to other papal candidates, he has more progressive views on key social issues like embracing marginalized groups, similar to his predecessor Francis. But, like Francis, Leo XIV opposes ordaining women as deacons.

In February, on the social media platform X, prior to being elected pope, Leo XIV expressed criticism of the Trump administration’s stance on immigration, likewise following in the footsteps of Francis.

Leo XIV has been criticized in the past for failing to act decisively against priests in Peru who were accused of sexual abuse, raising concerns on how the pope will handle the knotty issue of abuse moving forward.

American roots

Leo XIV was born Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago to French father Louis Prevost and Italian mother Mildred Martinez. He has two brothers, Louis Martin Prevost and John Joseph Prevost. He studied philosophy and earned a degree in mathematics at Villanova University in Philadelphia in 1977. The same year, Leo XIV entered the Order of Saint Augustine in Saint Louis and took his first vows on Sept. 2, 1978.

Three years later, Leo XIV made his solemn vows, a permanent promise taken within the Catholic Church. It would be years before Leo XIV would return to the United States, but in 2013, he returned to his Augustinian Province in Chicago, serving as director of formation at the Saint Augustine Convent, as well as first councilor and provincial vicar, according to the Vatican. The following year, his predecessor Pope Francis appointed Leo XIV as Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Chiclayo.

Leo XIV was made a cardinal by Francis after he named Leo XIV to run the diocese of Peru. He served in that position until 2023, when Francis brought Leo XIV to the Vatican to serve as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, head of the office that oversees bishop nominations.

In January 2024, Francis assigned Leo XIV as the Diaconate of Saint Monica.

Leo XIV’s episcopal motto, “In Illo uno unum,” a phrase chosen by a bishop to express their guiding principles as leader of the church, means “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one,” showing his devotion to creating a community in the followings of Christ.