You’ve probably heard these words countless times the last few days… We have a Pope!
In the early hours of Friday morning Australian time, the cardinal conclave after 2 days of voting elected the 267th bishop of Rome, head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV.
Cardinal Roberto Francis Prevost was elected as the first US born pontiff in the history of the church. Born in Chicago, the pontiff spent his early years going to church with his family where they reflected he had a ‘natural calling’ from a young age.
In 1985 he moved to Peru where he has now gained dual citizenship, working with marginalized communities as a local parish pastor in Trujillo before his predecessor Pope Francis made him Bishop of Chiclayo in 2014. Almost 10 years later he was made Archbishop before swiftly being inducted into the college of cardinals in February of 2023.
It took 4 rounds of voting for the 133 cardinal electors to reach a majority in which moderate Prevost was selected for the job. Now Pope Leo XIV, he is the first papal figure to take the name Leo in almost 150 years. He is expected to continue the works of Pope Francis by embracing the modern progressive nature Francis strove to express in his teachings with common themes of inclusion and equality, sending a clear message to the world about the future direction of the Catholic Church.
The Pope is a member of the Augustinian Order, which includes almost 3,000 members across 47 countries. Augustinians are known as missionaries, educators and pastors whose objective is to serve God and His people. This marks a monumental occasion for the order as it has representation at the highest position.
In the wake of his election by the cardinal conclave, discussion around his position as the first American pontiff has been rampant amongst experts and onlookers. There has been previous speculation that the lack of an American Pope has been a deliberate decision by the Church to limit Western ‘dominance’. Pope Leo’s appointment puts this speculation to rest, however his Peruvian citizenship has reportedly been said to have given him an advantage in the process as the Catholic Church continues to recognise the Global South with his selection.
Notably, Pope Leo has expressed his dislike for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s administration, taking to X to share criticisms of the party’s stance on immigration. Most recently the pontiff shared an article entitled “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”, openly condemning the Catholic VP.
Now, the 1.4 billion Catholics of the world must look on as Pope Leo papacy begins and the world will come to know more about his vision for the Church.
Sophie Janusko 