American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was on Thursday named Pope Leo XIV, making him the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Leo XIV is the first pope to have been born in the United States. He is also a citizen of Peru, where he spent much of his life.
The new leader of the 1.4 billion-strong church was elected through a two-day conclave gathering 133 Roman Catholic cardinals in the Vatican. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Peru President Dina Boluarte called Pope Leo XIV’s selection to lead the Catholic Church a “historic moment for Peru and the world,” in an address today.
Leo, spent much of his career as a missionary in South America. He worked for a decade in Trujillo and was later appointed bishop of Chiclayo, another Peruvian city, where he served from 2014 to 2023.
He became a citizen in 2015, the president said. “In our lands, he sowed hope, walked alongside the most needy, and shared the joys of our people. His choice for Peru was not merely formal, but profoundly spiritual and human. He chose to be one of us, to live among us, and to carry in his heart the faith, culture, and dreams of this nation,” Boluarte said, according to a translation to English.
She asked people in Peru to pray for the new pope and said his election “is a call to renew our faith, to work for justice, and to strengthen unity in Peru and beyond.”
