Six things to know about Pope Leo XIV
This was soon after his election by the 133 cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel, when white smoke rose to signal to the world that a new pope had been chosen.
About 70 minutes later Pope Leo XIV appeared on the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica dressed in white and flanked by cardinals. 3. His family history reflects deep roots in faith and service
Prevost was born into a devout family in Chicago's South Side. He is the son of Louis and Mildred Prevost and one of three brothers.
His mother was of Spanish descent and worked as a librarian. She came from a religious family with two sisters who became nuns.
His father, who had French and Spanish roots, was a navy veteran of World War 2 and a lifelong educator. Both parents are deceased. 4. He has a rich international ministry and dual citizenship
While born in the US, Pope Leo XIV holds dual citizenship with Peru.
He joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and spent much of his early ministry there, serving as a seminary director and canon law professor. He also served in leadership roles that emphasised community outreach and education in poor and underserved areas.
After returning briefly to the US, he was called back to Peru in 2014 by Pope Francis who appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, eventually naming him bishop.
In 2015 he was granted Peruvian citizenship, highlighting his strong ties to Latin America, a region that now represents a significant share of the world's catholics.
He is fluent in English and Spanish. 5. He's a highly educated scholar
Pope Leo XIV has a rich academic and theological background. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977 followed by a master of divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982 and was ordained a priest the same year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
6 days ago
- The Herald
Struggling Eastern Cape schools in dire need of helping hand
Opinion Premium 03 June 2025 A friend of mine from Hwedza in rural Zimbabwe tells the story of how, at the height of the economic crisis in that country, teachers at mission schools (which were established by mainly the Catholic and Anglican churches) held the fort. He explains how, when the economy collapsed and inflation reached levels never seen before anywhere in the world, parents could no longer pay for school fees, buy stationery or provide any kind of subsistence for their children, including those in mission boarding schools...
Daily Maverick
18-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
‘Sacred heart' for the marginalised — why Pope Francis and millions of Catholics have loved Mary
For a figure who appears only momentarily in the Bible before disappearing, Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, plays a significant role in the Catholic Church. The head of the church is God and it is Mary's devotion, belief and loyalty that connect God to the church's body, comprising billions of Catholics. Mary is the neck that links the two. In other words, Mary has God on speed dial. For believers, the Virgin Mary is the universal mother-cum-confidante, she to whom you can reveal your truest self and ask for intercession and protection. For the late Pope Francis, Mary provided a sacred feminine space away from Catholicism's masculine rituals and symbols. Marian devotion is practised the world over, including in Mexico, Haiti, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, France, the Philippines and Rwanda, with devotees visiting shrines annually. Francis visited the shrine of Our Lady of Luján, a 16th-century image on display in the Basilica Luján in Argentina, the country of his birth. He asked to be interred in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore), the first Marian sanctuary in the world, situated outside Rome. That he wanted to be laid to rest here is an indication of the deep significance Mary held for the deceased pope. Here he lies, returned to the holy womb, outside the walls of the Vatican where many other popes are entombed. A mother to all My mother, Barbara, born in the small Portuguese village of Baixo Alentejo in 1925, honoured Mary at the small Church of Our Lady of the Castle, a landmark on a hill near her village, built in 1510 along with a medieval castle. A rock inside the small chapel has been rubbed to a polished shine by pilgrims, possibly also by my mother. She left her home, brothers and country in 1952 for England to work, never to return. The popular shrine to Our Lady of Fatima is about 220km from my mother's Aljustrel home. It is here the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared to three shepherds in 1917, foretelling three 'secrets'. A small item of Catholic kitsch of the three shepherds stands on my bookshelf. For a girl child whose mother died when she was six months old and who was orphaned at 12 when her father died, my mother was carried by Mary through her difficult and courageous life. All around are the statues and small fold-out altars she once owned. Magical realism What follows is a short recounting of a personal story involving the Virgin Mary. It begins in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, with its four Peter Paul Rubens and other masterpieces. There in 2016, alongside a close friend whose mother was also Catholic, we lit candles – not because we are religious, but because they were. We could argue that it was technology that facilitated what happened next, but let's go with the magical realism of Catholicism. After I returned to South Africa after lighting the candle, an email arrived from someone whose mother knew my mother all those years ago. This old friend was 90 and going through a box of memorabilia when she pulled out a letter from my mother written in 1971 that contained two photographs of my brother, Albert, and me. Her daughter, now in her seventies, used the internet to find me. Until that moment there had been no contact with family or Portugal for more than 80 years. The history of my mother's life had been silenced by a stroke, her family scattered and forgotten. A few months later I found myself outside the locked door of my mother's family home, still in the family name in her village in Portugal. To the neighbours who flocked to find out what was going on, it was only logical that the candle lit in the cathedral should have led me to this front door. 'What is your name?' 'Marianne.' 'Who was Mary's mother?' 'I don't recall.' 'Anne. Your mother chose your name carefully. You lit a candle, you spoke to the Virgin and she led you here,' said one neighbour, who pulled out a small photograph of a surviving aunt, Jacinta, who was the last to occupy the family home. For the village Catholics, it was only natural that Mary should intercede on my behalf. Mary feminises Catholicism like no other religion. She mitigates the severity of the masculine dogma and offers a 'sacred heart' and an ear open to prayers of intercession for the marginalised. Mary has carried many Catholics through their lives. For them, she stands as a symbol of the power of maternal and feminine love. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
IOL News
12-05-2025
- IOL News
Leo XIV to address faithful with St Peter's prayer
This photo taken and handout on May 9, 2025 by The Vatican Media shows Pope Leo XIV during a mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel in The Vatican. Image: Vatican Media/ AFP Pope Leo XIV will lead the Regina Coeli prayer from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on Sunday, in his second official public appearance since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church. The noon prayer is expected to draw thousands of people anxious for a closer look at the modest pontiff, born Robert Francis Prevost, who before becoming the first US pope spent much of his life as a missionary in Peru. Cardinals chose Leo as the 267th pope at a secret conclave Thursday, praying he could heal rifts within the Church, renew faith among the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and address a host of modern-day challenges weighing on the more than 2,000-year-old institution. Addressing cardinals on Saturday, the 69-year-old Leo called himself a "humble servant of God... and nothing more than this", and an "unworthy successor" to St Peter, according to a transcript of his speech released by the Vatican. Tribute to Francis In the first clues as to the direction of his pontificate, he said he would be driven by the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died April 21 aged 88 -- "with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life". On Saturday, Leo prayed before Francis's simple marble tomb inside Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica. The church was a favourite of Francis and the faithful have continued to line up to pay their respects there. Cardinals describe the Chicago-born Leo as in the mold of Francis, with a commitment to the poor and disadvantaged, and a focus on Catholics in far-flung areas of the Church away from Rome. As an Augustinian and former missionary, he also believes the Church is committed to "the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community", as he told Cardinals. Before visiting Francis's tomb, Leo made a surprise outing Saturday to an Augustinian shrine southeast of Rome, the Basilica Sanctuary of the Mother of Good Counsel. Cardinals have described the new pope's personal style as less direct than the sometimes impulsive Francis, a progressive who shook up the Church and often ruffled feathers within the Roman Curia, or government of the Holy See, during his 12-year papacy. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the conservative archbishop of New York, called his fellow countryman "a man of deep faith, rooted in prayer and capable of listening". "This is what gives us hope; not a political programme or a communicative strategy but the concrete testimony of the Gospel," Dolan told the Italian newspaper La Stampa. Soon after being elected Thursday, the soft-spoken Leo's first appearance at the balcony of St Peter's saw him wish peace to "all the people, wherever they are.. to the whole Earth." Now for journalists, diplomats Leo's Regina Coeli prayer to the Virgin Mary, which is recited particularly during Easter, kicks off a busy week of meetings and audiences. On Monday, he will be officially presented to the international media who came to Rome to cover his election. He plans to meet diplomats to the Vatican on Friday and then on Sunday, May 18 he presides over the inaugural mass at St Peter's to mark the beginning of his pontificate. The following week is marked by Leo's first general audience on May 21 -- a normally weekly event by the pope that includes readings from Scripture and a homily for the public. He also plans to meet with members of the Roman Curia and Vatican officials on May 24. In one of his first decisions, Leo has already said the heads of dicasteries, or Vatican departments, will keep their positions for now. Those roles had been suspended between Francis's death and the new pope's election. "The Holy Father wishes to reserve some time for reflection, prayer and dialogue, before any definitive appointment or confirmation," the Vatican said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Meanwhile, the pontiff begins his tours to take possession of Rome's four papal basilicas -- including a visit to Santa Maria Maggiore on May 25, where his predecessor Pope Francis is buried. Francis named Leo a cardinal in 2023 after choosing him to lead the powerful Dicastery of Bishops, which advises the pontiff on bishop appointments. But he has been largely unknown outside the Vatican. He spent approximately two decades in Peru on missions, a central priority of the Augustinian order, taking Peruvian citizenship and learning Spanish -- which he used during his first address from St Peter's Basilica. AFP
