If you’re still thinking of Pope Francis when someone mentions the Vatican, you're actually a bit behind the times. Things changed quickly. On May 8, 2025, the white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, signaling a massive shift for 1.4 billion people. Pope Leo XIV is the current pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and he’s already making history just by being who he is.
His name was Robert Francis Prevost.
He’s from Chicago. Honestly, it still feels a little weird to say that out loud—the leader of the global Catholic Church grew up in the Illinois suburbs. He’s the first-ever American pontiff. While his predecessor, Francis, broke ground as the first from the Americas, Leo XIV has taken that a step further, bringing a distinctly Midwestern, pragmatic energy to the Holy See.
The unexpected rise of the Chicago kid
Most people didn't see it coming.
During the 2025 conclave, the "pope-watchers" were betting on various Italian or African cardinals. But the College of Cardinals went a different route. They chose a 69-year-old Augustinian friar who had spent years in the trenches of missionary work in Peru before being called to Rome.
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Leo XIV isn't just a bureaucrat. He’s a guy who knows how to handle complex machinery—both the literal kind and the political kind. Before he was "His Holiness," he was a Bishop in Chiclayo, Peru, and later the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. Basically, he was the guy in charge of vetting every new bishop in the world. He knew where the bodies were buried, so to speak, and he knew exactly how the Church's internal gears turned.
A quick timeline of how we got here:
- February 2025: Pope Francis’ health takes a serious turn for the worse with bilateral pneumonia.
- May 2025: After a short conclave, Robert Prevost is elected.
- January 2026: Leo XIV officially kicks off his "own" era after closing the 2025 Jubilee Year.
Who is the current pope of roman catholic and what does he actually believe?
If you’re looking for a radical departure from Pope Francis, you won't find it here. But you won't find a carbon copy either. Leo XIV is very much a "successor, not a replacement," as Cardinal Blase Cupich put it.
He’s obsessed with the Second Vatican Council.
Seriously. Since January 2026, he’s been running a series of talks dedicated specifically to rereading the Vatican II documents. He thinks the Church needs to stop talking about "hearsay" and actually look at what was written in the 1960s. He’s pushing for a "missionary Church"—one that doesn't just sit in a building waiting for people to show up, but actually goes out and starts conversations.
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Diplomacy and the "American" factor
It’s kinda fascinating to watch an American pope navigate global politics. He’s currently balancing a very thin line with the U.S. government and other world powers. He’s been vocal about migration and climate change, but he does it with a lawyer’s precision. He holds a Doctor of Canon Law, after all.
He’s not afraid to be a bit "old school" when it helps with transparency. For instance, he recently brought back the tradition of the extraordinary consistory. He gathered all the cardinals in Rome just to talk. No scripts, no pre-planned outcomes—just a room full of the Church's "princes" hashing out issues like liturgy and curia reform. Francis didn't do that much toward the end, and the cardinals apparently missed it.
The "Firsts" that define Leo XIV
It’s easy to get lost in the theology, but the "firsts" are what usually end up in the history books.
- First American: This is the big one. Having someone who understands the nuances of Western democracy and the American "can-do" spirit in the Chair of Peter is a massive cultural shift.
- First Augustinian: He belongs to the Order of Saint Augustine. This means his spirituality is rooted in the ideas of community and "searching for truth together."
- Dual Citizenship: He holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. This gives him a unique bridge between the developed North and the Global South.
What's on the horizon for 2026?
The 2025 Jubilee Year is over, and now we’re seeing the "real" Leo XIV. He’s already planning a major trip to Spain, hitting Madrid and Barcelona. He’s also announced a World Children's Day for September 2026.
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He seems determined to prove that the Church can be both traditional and modern. He uses the tools of the modern age—tech, social media, global diplomacy—but his message is rooted in the same stuff the Church has been saying for centuries. He’s focused on "building bridges," which sounds like a cliché until you see him sitting down with Eastern Orthodox patriarchs or navigating the messy politics of the Middle East and South America.
Honestly, the "American Pope" experiment is just beginning. Whether he can actually fix the deep-seated issues of the Roman Curia or bridge the massive divide between the progressive and conservative wings of the Church is the billion-dollar question.
What you should do next
To stay truly informed about the papacy, don't just rely on mainstream headlines. Check the Vatican News official site for his weekly general audiences, especially the "catechesis" series on Vatican II. If you want to see how he’s changing the local landscape, look up the recent appointments he’s made in your own country’s dioceses. That’s where the real influence of a pope is felt—not in the speeches, but in the people he chooses to lead.