The conclave began yesterday and a new Pope has already been chosen by the Cardinals. Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected the new pope to take Pope Francis’s place as Pope Leo 14th. He appeared on the balcony of S. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Thursday, May 8, 2025 as the new pope. He is now the leader of Roman Catholics around the world, and is now tasked with being the sovereign leader of 1.4 billion Catholics.
Robert F. Prevost has become the first-ever American Pope. He was born September 14, 1955 in Chicago. He is the son of Marius Prevost, a French-Italian descendent and his mother Mildred Martinez who is of Spanish descent. He has two brothers named Louis Martin and John Joseph. He grew up in Dolton, Illinois with his family. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University, Pennsylvania in 1977, later studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago and then he earned a doctorate in canon law at a Pontifical University in St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome.
He also holds Peruvian citizenship, as he took on dual nationality after working in Peru for 20 years.
His achievements started in Latin America before his election. He served as president of the Pontifical Commission in Latin America, Bishop of Chicalyo, Peru and was the previous General of the Order of Saint Augustine. Most recently, he oversaw bishop appointments worldwide.
But his main goals is to be Pope and act on social justice, environmental stewardship, ecumenism, etc. His vision for social justice is similar to Pope Francis’s vision, with it being commitment to the poor and marginalized, advocating for their rights. He expresses concerns about challenges with the environment and the climate. He will likely promote more responsible actions to address these issues involving the environment. Prevost does hope for unity within the church and relations with other religions, suggesting that he will promote these values of unity within and outside the Roman Catholic Church. He might also aim for moderation mainly with women as deacons in the church. These are many of Robert Prevost’s stated goals as the new Pope of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church.
We can only see how the directions of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo 14th will affect the church, the Catholic and religious communities and as well as the world.