CrucisPope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost on 14 September 1955 in Chicago, in the United States. He entered the Order of St. Augustine and spent many years as a missionary in Peru, where he served the poor and later became a bishop, before being called to Rome to lead the Vatican office responsible for the appointment of bishops throughout the world and being created a cardinal. He was elected pope in May 2025, taking the name Leo, and is the first pope born in the United States.
In choosing the name Leo, he evoked the memory of Pope Leo XIII, the father of modern Catholic social teaching, suggesting a concern for the dignity of workers and for the questions posed to humanity by new technologies and social change. Shaped by his Augustinian formation and his long missionary experience among the poor of Latin America, he brought to the papacy a heart for unity, mission, and the service of the marginalized.
Selected quotes
“Let us build bridges through dialogue and encounter, that we may walk together as one people, united in Christ and open to all.”
“The Church must walk together, listening and journeying as one body, for no one carries the Gospel alone.”
“Charity is the bridge that crosses every division; where the world builds walls of fear, the Gospel builds doors of welcome.”