What do we know about Pope Leo?

RTÉ News​

09-05-2025

The Catholic news journalist John L Allen once wrote that "the trash heaps of history are littered with the carcasses of so-called experts who've tried to predict the next pope".
There's no doubt that the accuracy of that observation was underscored by the unexpected election of Pope Leo XIV yesterday.
Considering that he was not listed as a frontrunner, the announcement that US Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected Pope came as a surprise to many.
There was a brief moment of silence when his name was announced to the packed St Peter's Square, before people started to clap and cheer.
Journalists, including ourselves, scrambled to see if we had him on a list of potential outsiders. Thankfully, he was in the mix, albeit at the bottom of the pile.
Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained as a priest in 1982.
Three years later, he moved to Peru but frequently returned to the US to serve as a pastor in his home city.
He has Peruvian citizenship and is remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges.
In 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo in northern Peru by Pope Francis.
Three years later he was elected vice-president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, where he also served as a member of the Economic Council and president of the Commission for Culture and Education.
In 2023, Pope Francis made him a cardinal. He is someone that has both missionary experience and experience of the Roman Curia.
Emerging on to the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square, Pope Leo set the tone of his pontificate with his first words to the cheering crowd - "Peace be with you all".
Unlike Francis, who spurned much of the trappings of the papacy from the day he was elected in 2013, Pope Leo wore a traditional red papal garment over his white cassock.
While many people will compare him to the previous Pope, it was suggested yesterday by a source that it's unlikely that Leo XIV will remain in the Casa Santa Maria guesthouse where Pope Francis lived, as it "creates its own difficulties".
Despite that, the 69-year-old is viewed as a continuity candidate to the legacy of Pope Francis when it comes to Catholic social teaching and is understood to have shared Francis' views on migrants, the poor and the environment.
He was one of the cardinals involved in Francis' Synod on Synodality - an effort to overcome polarisation in the church by inviting all Catholics to participate through a process of listening and discernment.
Of the 133 cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel in recent days, 61 were involved in the synod and knew each other well, which is a significant block of votes, considering that 89 was the magic number that had to be reached.
He will inherit a church facing an array of challenges including the legacy of sexual abuse.
No former bishop in the Catholic Church can expect to be elected as Pope without an assessment on their handling of clerical sex abuse.
Yesterday, the US-based advocacy group for victims of clerical sex abuse, SNAP expressed "grave concern" about the choice of Pontiff, saying that he failed to take action against suspected historical abuse in Chicago and in Peru.
However, his Peruvian diocese fervently denied he had been involved in any attempted cover-up.
In an open letter, the group told the new pontiff that "the grand pageantry" around his election reminded them that "survivors do not carry the same weight in this world as you do".
In a 2023 interview, Cardinal Prevost said the Church must be transparent and honest in dealing with abuse allegations.
Today, will be the first full day of Pope Leo's pontificate.
This morning, he will celebrate Mass for the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel which will be broadcast live on Vatican media channels.
On Sunday, it's expected that he will make his first public appearance at the Angelus Prayer in St Peter's Square at noon.
Known for his quiet, deliberate demeanor, the first Augustinian pope reportedly likes to play tennis and values community life which was fostered by the vocation of his Order.
Irish missionaries in Peru are familiar to him and he is a friend of Fr Paul Finnerty of the Irish College of Rome, who confirmed yesterday that Cardinal Prevost visited the college just last November for a celebration.
Cardinal Prevost - now Leo the XIV - has also been to Ireland.
It's understood he has godchildren in Cork who are the brothers of a Bon Secours Sister based in Trujillo in Peru.