May 8, 2025, will go down in history as the day the Catholic Church elected its first US-born pope. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native with deep missionary roots in Latin America, was elected by the College of Cardinals to succeed Pope Francis as the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church. Upon his election, he took the name Leo XIV, evoking the memory and mission of Leo XIII, the pope who inaugurated the modern social doctrine of the Church at the end of the 19th century.

A life marked by mission and pastoral service

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, a culturally vibrant and deeply Catholic city. From an early age, he felt a strong inclination toward faith, justice, and service. He entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1977 and professed his solemn vows in 1981. His intellectual formation led him to earn a degree in canon law in Rome, but his heart belonged to the peripheries, not the front and center.

His vocation took him to the dusty roads and struggling communities of northern Peru, where he served for over two decades. There he became involved in the lives of the people, learning Spanish, adopting their culture, and walking alongside the poor and marginalized. He was director of the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo and, finally, superior of the Augustinians in Peru. His missionary presence was not merely instrumental, but deeply personal. He listened, learned, suffered, and waited with the people he served.

In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Chiclayo, a large diocese on the northern coast of Peru. Having become a Peruvian citizen, he continued his pastoral ministry with humility and vigor, supporting migrants, indigenous communities, and victims of structural poverty and violence. His episcopate was a reflection of the values that Pope Francis would defend: a Church on the move, poor and for the poor.

From bishop to the heart of the Vatican

In 2020, Robert Prevost was called to Rome to join the Congregation for Bishops, a sign of the trust Pope Francis placed in him. His deep pastoral experience, legal training, and capacity for discernment quickly made him a respected voice in Vatican circles. In 2023, he was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, one of the most important positions in the Church’s central government. In this position, he was responsible for the election of new bishops around the world. He placed great importance on humility, listening, and pastoral closeness as fundamental qualities of episcopal leadership.

Cardinal Prevost was a discreet but influential presence in the Roman Curia. He was not a person who sought the cameras or the grandeur of his office. His work, often behind the scenes, reflected a deeper ecclesiology: leadership rooted in discernment, service, and a sense of being a pilgrim among pilgrims.

Why Leo XIV? A name with history and meaning

By choosing the name Leo XIV, the new Pope made a profound historical and spiritual statement. He is the first to take the name “Leo” since Pope Leo XIII, whose encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891) launched the Church’s formal reflection on modern social realities, an encyclical that addressed the effects of the industrial revolution, defended the dignity of workers, and called for the moral renewal of economic and political systems.

Leo XIII is rightly considered the father of Catholic social teaching, a tradition that has been extended by all modern popes. By aligning himself with this legacy, Leo XIV manifests his intention to continue the prophetic concern for the poor, the vulnerable, and the excluded. The choice of his name suggests a renewed commitment to justice in today’s world, a world marked by migration crises, ecological collapse, wars, economic inequalities, and cultural polarization.

Leo XIV is also, symbolically, a pope for our time: someone who understands the need to unite the eternal truths of the Gospel with the urgencies of contemporary society. He does not simply repeat history, but updates and revitalizes it for the 21st century.

Walking with Francis: the continuity of a vision

The relationship between Leo XIV and his predecessor, Pope Francis, was both personal and spiritual. The two shared a deep mutual respect and a common vision of the Church. Pope Francis has often described the Church as a “field hospital,” and Cardinal Preztl embodied this metaphor throughout his ministry. His years in Peru, his closeness to the suffering, and his pastoral priorities were deeply attuned to Francis’ program of ecclesial reform.

The election of the new pope can be seen as a clear continuation of Francis’ era: a commitment to synodality, humility in leadership, pastoral conversion, care for creation, and accompaniment of the poor. His papacy is not expected to reverse course, but to deepen the Church’s commitment to a world in transition.

He inherits a Church that Francis has helped to reorient toward mercy, dialogue, and reform. Now Leo XIV must carry that torch forward with his own voice, his own heart, and his own trust in the Holy Spirit.

A first message rooted in hope and disarmament

On the evening of his election, Pope Leo XIV appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and addressed the world. He did not speak in grand theological abstractions, but in the language of the Gospel and of the people.

He paid heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis, thanking him for his courage, his tenderness, and his witness. He then invited the faithful to pray not only for him, but with him, invoking peace for the world, “a humble and unarmed peace,” as he himself defined it.

In a world marked by war, the proliferation of weapons, and nationalism, Leo XIV called for peace based not on force or fear, but on humility and dialogue. He urged the Church and all people of good will to build bridges, not walls; to heal, not to hurt; to listen, not to shout.

His words were gentle but firm. There was no triumphalism, only trust: trust in God’s grace and in the goodwill of humanity. His first speech offered no program, no immediate doctrinal statements. It was simply the voice of a shepherd asking the world to walk with him toward peace.

A joyful welcome from the Vincentian Family

As members of the worldwide Vincentian Family, we rejoice with the whole Church at the election of Pope Leo XIV. His missionary heart, his dedication to the poor, and his simplicity of life resonate deeply with our charism, inherited from St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, and Blessed Frederick Ozanam.

We recognize in Pope Leo a brother and a pastor who understands the struggles of the poor and is committed to a Church that serves, accompanies, and encourages. His journey in Latin America, his closeness to migrants and workers, and his openness to listening echo the very DNA of our spiritual family.

May the Vincentian Family—priests, brothers, sisters, lay collaborators, and young people—walk together with Pope Leo XIV as a pilgrim people, committed to faith, justice, and global solidarity.

Prayer for the new Pope

O God, Shepherd of your people
we thank you for the gift of Pope Leo XIV.
You chose him from among us
to be a humble leader, a builder of bridges
and a voice for the voiceless.
Bless him with strength in times of trial,
joy in times of hope
and wisdom in the face of difficulties.
May he lead your Church with the heart of a father,
the soul of a servant
and the vision of a prophet.
Renew in all of us the fire of charity,
so that together, guided by his hand
we may continue the mission of Jesus Christ:
to bring good news to the poor,
freedom to prisoners
and peace to a world in need.
Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
St. Peter, St. Paul and all the saints,
watch over Pope Leo XIV.
Keep him in your grace and grant him your peace.
Amen.

Source: https://famvin.org/