American Robert Prevost has become the 267th pope, succeeding the late Francis as Leo XIV.
After the death of Argentine Pope Francis, many observers believed the cardinals would elect a European successor.
But cardinals voting in the conclave at the Vatican decided to go back to the Americas, with the 69-year-old Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishop from Chicago, the largest Archdiocese in North America.
The cardinal, who holds both American and Peruvian citizenship, also serves as the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, where nearly 40 per cent of the world’s Catholics reside.
He assumed both these roles in 2023, making him relatively inexperienced, but he was favoured by Pope Francis and was believed to be considered the main “Bergoglian” candidate, as an ally of the late head of the Vatican.
Vatican insiders described him as the “dark horse” candidate who quietly rose to prominence in the days just before the conclave, having been made a cardinal-bishop in February this year.
Born in Chicago in 1955, the American had a long career in missionary work in South America, working for nearly 15 years in Peru until 1998. In 2015, he was appointed the bishop of Chiclayo in northwest Peru.
He has championed the importance of on the ground work. In a 2023 interview with Vatican News, he said: “One must not give in to the temptation to live isolated, separated in a palace, satisfied with a certain social level or a certain level within the church.
“The authority we have is to serve, to accompany priests, to be pastors and teachers.”
Prevost is also an expert in canon law, a system that functions like a constitution and legal system specifically for the Catholic Church, affording him appeal to the more traditional wings of the Vatican.
