If you had told me a few years ago that the next person to lead the Catholic Church would be a Chicago-born missionary who spent decades in the trenches of Peru, I’d have said you were dreaming. But here we are. The world woke up to a massive shift in May 2025. Honestly, the transition from Pope Francis to his successor felt both like a sudden shock and an inevitable turning point for a Church that’s been grappling with its own identity for a long time.
Who was elected pope 2025?
Basically, the man of the hour is Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who now goes by Pope Leo XIV.
He was elected on May 8, 2025, after a relatively short but intense conclave. It only took four ballots. When that white smoke finally billowed out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at 6:07 p.m. Rome time, the crowd in St. Peter’s Square went absolutely wild. You’ve probably seen the footage—tens of thousands of people screaming "Viva il papa!" under a rainy Italian sky.
It’s a big deal for a few reasons. First, he’s the first-ever American pope. That’s a sentence I didn't think I'd be writing so soon. Born in Chicago and raised in the suburbs of Dolton, Illinois, he brings a very different vibe to the Vatican than the European or even the South American popes of the past.
The Man Behind the Name
Before he was Leo XIV, Robert Prevost was a member of the Order of Saint Augustine (the Augustinians). He wasn’t just some career bureaucrat, though he did spend time in the Roman Curia. He was a missionary. He lived in Peru for years, working in the northern city of Chiclayo.
He’s got dual citizenship—U.S. and Peruvian. This matters because it means he speaks fluent Spanish and understands the "peripheries" that Pope Francis was always talking about. He isn’t just an American; he’s a guy who knows what it’s like to work in places where the Church is the only safety net for the poor.
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How the 2025 Conclave Went Down
The whole thing started on May 7, 2025. It followed the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025. Francis was 88 and had been struggling with health issues for months—specifically double pneumonia that kept him in the Gemelli Hospital for a long stretch in February and March.
The conclave was actually the largest in history. There were 133 cardinal electors. Imagine trying to get 133 people to agree on anything, let alone the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics.
- Day 1: One ballot. No winner. Black smoke.
- Day 2: This is where the momentum shifted.
- The Frontrunners: Before the doors were locked, names like Cardinal Pietro Parolin (the Vatican’s Secretary of State) and Cardinal Péter Erdő (the conservative Hungarian) were floating around.
- The Surprise: Prevost emerged as a bridge candidate. He was seen as someone who could carry on Francis’s reforms but also knew how to manage the complex Vatican administration (since he was the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops).
By the fourth vote on the second day, he hit the required two-thirds majority—89 votes.
Why the Name Leo XIV?
The choice of name is always a signal. He didn't pick Francis II or Peter (obviously). He went with Leo.
The last Pope Leo (Leo XIII) was famous for Rerum Novarum, the 1891 document that basically invented modern Catholic social teaching. It dealt with labor rights and the gap between the rich and the poor. By picking this name, Prevost is sorta telling the world that he’s going to focus on social justice and how the Church interacts with the modern economy.
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He’s also resurrecting some old-school traditions. For example, he’s already started holding regular "plenary consistories"—basically big meetings where he actually listens to all the cardinals instead of just making decisions in a small circle. People are calling it a "collegial shift." He listens, he takes notes, and he doesn’t always talk first.
What’s Happened Since the Election?
Since May 2025, Leo XIV hasn't exactly been sitting still. He spent the rest of 2025 closing out the Holy Year (Jubilee 2025), which brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.
He’s also made it clear that he isn’t going to shy away from the Church's scandals. In a pretty emotional meeting in early 2026, he called the failure to welcome and listen to sexual abuse victims a "scandal" that "closes the door of the Church." It was a blunt, non-corporate way of speaking that caught a lot of people by surprise.
A First for the U.S.
The fact that he’s from Chicago is still the biggest talking point in many circles. He’s a fan of Villanova (his alma mater) and brings a certain Midwestern pragmatism to the job. He’s 70 years old—born September 14, 1955—which is relatively young for a pope. That means we’re likely looking at a long papacy.
What Most People Get Wrong
One big misconception is that because he was appointed to high office by Pope Francis, he’s just "Francis 2.0." That’s not quite right. While he’s definitely in line with the synodal, missionary direction of the last decade, his style is different. He’s a canon lawyer by training (he has a doctorate in it). He’s much more likely to work through the systems and legal structures of the Church than Francis was, who often preferred to bypass them.
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Leo XIV is also reaching out to areas that have been tense. He’s already planning a major tour of Africa for 2026, including Angola and Algeria (the birthplace of his patron saint, Augustine).
Actionable Insights for Following the Papacy
If you’re trying to keep up with how the Church is changing under Leo XIV, here are a few things to keep an eye on:
- Watch the Consistories: If he continues to meet with the College of Cardinals every few months, it signals a massive decentralization of power away from the "Pope-as-King" model.
- Monitor the Appointments: As the guy who used to run the Dicastery for Bishops, he knows exactly who the "rising stars" are in the global Church. Who he picks for major cities like Paris, New York, or Manila will tell you everything you need to know about his long-term strategy.
- Read the "Leo Letters": He’s already started writing shorter, more frequent letters to specific groups (like his recent one on the 800th anniversary of St. Francis). These are often more revealing than the massive, 200-page encyclicals.
The election of Leo XIV in 2025 wasn't just a change in leadership; it was the moment the "New World" finally took the reins of the oldest institution in the West. Whether you’re Catholic or just a history buff, watching how an Augustinian from Illinois navigates the waters of the Vatican is going to be one of the biggest stories of the next decade.
Keep an eye on the Vatican News official bulletins for the upcoming Africa trip schedule to see how his missionary background influences his first major solo international tour.