May 8, 2025 will go down in history as the day the Catholic Church elected its first pope born in the United States. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native with deep missionary roots in Latin America, was chosen by the College of Cardinals to succeed Pope Francis as the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church. Upon his election, he took the name Leo XIV, evoking the memory and mission of Leo XIII, the pope who inaugurated the Church’s modern social doctrine at the end of the 19th century.

A Life Shaped by Mission and Pastoral Service

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in the culturally vibrant and deeply Catholic city of Chicago. From a young age, he felt a strong pull toward faith, justice, and service. He entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1977 and made his solemn vows in 1981. His intellectual formation led him to earn degrees in canon law in Rome, but his heart belonged to the peripheries, not the spotlight.

His calling took him to the dusty roads and struggling communities of northern Peru, where he would serve for over two decades. There, he immersed himself in the life of the people, becoming fluent in Spanish, embracing their culture, and walking alongside the poor and marginalized. He served as director of the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo and eventually became the superior of the Augustinians in Peru. His missionary presence was not merely functional—it was deeply personal. He listened, learned, wept, and hoped with the people he served.

In 2014, Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo, a large diocese on Peru’s northern coast. He took Peruvian citizenship and continued his pastoral ministry with humility and vigor, advocating for migrants, indigenous communities, and victims of structural poverty and violence. His episcopacy reflected the very values Pope Francis would come to champion: a Church that goes forth, one that is poor and for the poor.

From Bishop to the Heart of the Vatican

In 2020, Robert Prevost was called to Rome to serve on the Congregation for Bishops, a sign of the trust Pope Francis placed in him. His deep pastoral experience, legal training, and capacity for discernment quickly made him a respected voice in Vatican circles. In 2023, he was named Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops—one of the most important posts in the Church’s central governance. In that role, he was responsible for helping to choose new bishops across the globe. He emphasized humility, listening, and pastoral closeness as the primary qualities of episcopal leadership.

Cardinal Prevost remained a quiet yet influential presence in the Roman Curia. He was not one to seek the cameras or the grandeur of his office. His work, often behind the scenes, reflected a deeper ecclesiology: leadership rooted in discernment, service, and a sense of being a pilgrim among pilgrims.

Why Leo XIV? A Name with Purpose and Legacy

In choosing the name Leo XIV, the new pope made a profound historical and spiritual statement. He is the first to take the name “Leo” since Pope Leo XIII, whose landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891) launched the Church’s formal reflection on modern social realities—an encyclical that confronted the effects of the Industrial Revolution, defended the dignity of workers, and called for the moral renewal of economic and political systems.

Leo XIII is rightly regarded as the father of Catholic Social Teaching, a tradition that has since been expanded by every modern pope. By aligning himself with that legacy, Leo XIV signals his intent to carry forward a prophetic concern for the poor, the vulnerable, and the excluded. His name choice suggests a renewed commitment to justice in today’s world—a world marked by migration crises, ecological collapse, war, economic inequality, and cultural polarization.

Leo XIV is also, symbolically, a pope for our time: someone who understands the need to bring together the timeless truths of the Gospel with the urgent cries of contemporary society. He is not merely repeating history—he is updating and revitalizing it for the 21st century.

Walking with Francis: A Continuity of Vision

Leo XIV’s relationship with his predecessor, Pope Francis, is both personal and spiritual. The two shared a deep mutual respect and a common vision of Church. Pope Francis often described the Church as a “field hospital,” and Cardinal Prevost embodied that metaphor throughout his ministry. His years in Peru, his proximity to suffering, and his pastoral priorities resonated deeply with Francis’s ecclesial reform agenda.

The new pope’s elevation can be seen as a clear continuation of Pope Francis era— a commitment to synodality, humility in leadership, pastoral conversion, care for creation, and accompaniment of the poor. His papacy is not expected to reverse course but to deepen the Church’s engagement with a world in transition.

He inherits a Church that Francis helped reorient toward mercy, dialogue, and reform. Now, Leo XIV must carry that torch with his own voice, his own heart, and his own trust in the Holy Spirit.

A First Message Rooted in Hope and Disarmament

On the evening of his election, Pope Leo XIV stood on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and addressed the world. He did not speak in grand theological abstractions, but in the language of the Gospel and of the people.

He paid heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis, thanking him for his courage, tenderness, and witness. He then invited the faithful to pray not only for him, but with him, invoking peace for the world— “a humble and disarmed peace,” as he called it.

In a world marked by war, arms proliferation, and nationalism, Leo XIV called for peace rooted not in strength or fear, but in humility and dialogue. He urged the Church and all people of goodwill to build bridges, not walls; to heal, not to wound; to listen, not to shout.

His words were gentle, but firm. There was no triumphalism, only trust— trust in the grace of God and in the goodwill of humanity. His first address offered no agenda, no immediate doctrinal declarations. It was, simply, the voice of a pastor asking the world to walk with him in peace.

A Joyful Welcome from the Vincentian Family

As members of the Vincentian Family around the world, we rejoice with the whole Church at the election of Pope Leo XIV. His missionary heart, his dedication to the poor, and his simplicity of life resonate deeply with our own charism, inherited from St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and many others.

We recognize in Pope Leo a brother and shepherd who understands the struggles of the poor and who is committed to a Church that serves, accompanies, and lifts up. His journey through Latin America, his closeness to migrants and workers, and his openness to listening echo the very DNA of our spiritual family.

May the Vincentian Family—priests, brothers, sisters, lay collaborators, and young people—walk closely with Pope Leo XIV as he shepherds the People of God into a new chapter of faith, justice, and global solidarity.

A Prayer for the New Pope

O God, Shepherd of Your people,
We thank You for the gift of Pope Leo XIV.
You have chosen him from among us
to be a humble leader, a bridge-builder,
and a voice for the voiceless.

Bless him with strength in moments of trial,
with joy in moments of hope,
and with wisdom in the face of complexity.
May he lead Your Church with the heart of a father,
the soul of a servant,
and the vision of a prophet.

Renew in all of us the fire of charity,
so that together, guided by his hand,
we may continue the mission of Jesus Christ:
to bring good news to the poor,
liberty to the captives,
and peace to a world in need.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
St. Peter, St. Paul, and all the saints,
watch over Pope Leo XIV.
Keep him in your grace and grant him your peace.
Amen.