Pope Leo XIV, history’s first American pope, said Friday that his election was both a cross and a blessing, as he celebrated his first Mass in the same Sistine Chapel where cardinals elected him to lead the Catholic Church and follow in Pope Francis’ social justice-minded footsteps.
Leo, 69, the Chicago-born Augustinian missionary Robert Prevost, surprised the world Thursday when he emerged on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica as the 267th pontiff, overcoming the traditional prohibition against a pope from the United States.
What to know
Who is Robert Prevost?: The former pope, Francis, brought Prevost, now Leo XIV, to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.The new pope’s possible priorities: The mass, which included two women reading scripture, is perhaps an indication of Leo’s intention to follow Francis’ priority to expand women’s role in the church. He also championed evangelism, noting that many parts of the world mock Christianity as “absurd” or misunderstand Jesus as “a kind of charismatic leader or superman.”The new pope’s ties to America and Peru: Pope Leo was born in 1955 in the south side of Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville and grew up in suburban Dolton. He’s previously shared criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on social media. In Peru, where he served as a missionary, he is known as the bishop who spearheaded the life-saving purchase of oxygen production plants during the COVID-19 pandemic.