Pope Leo XIV is the first Augustinian pontiff. Here's what the religious order means

Formerly known arsenic Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV became the first-ever pope calved successful the United States on May 8.

The 69-year-old, who hails from Chicago but has dual Peruvian nationality aft spending astir of his vocation arsenic a missionary successful Peru, became a cardinal successful 2023.

"Peace beryllium with you all," helium told the cheering assemblage successful fluent Italian. Leo, who became the church's 267th pope, besides spoke successful Spanish, but not English, successful his little address.

Leo thanked Pope Francis and repeated his predecessor's telephone for a religion that is engaged with the modern satellite and "is ever looking for peace, foundation and being adjacent to people, particularly those who are suffering."

Pope Leo XIV is simply a antheral of galore firsts; isolated from being the archetypal American-born pope, helium is besides the archetypal pope to beryllium an Augustinian. Those who bash not signifier Catholicism whitethorn not cognize what this means.

Here is what you request to cognize astir the Order of St. Augustine.

What is an Augustinian?

According to the Augustinian Vocations of North America, Augustinians are members of the Order of St. Augustine.

“We service God and His radical successful divers ministries arsenic pastors, educators, and missionaries,” the vocations website said.

The bid was calved juridically successful March 1244, erstwhile Pope Innocent IV agreed assorted groups of hermits successful work to the Universal Church arsenic a assemblage of Mendicant Friars.

The halfway values of this bid are to "live unneurotic successful harmony, being of 1 caput and 1 bosom connected the mode to God."

"The main intent for you having travel unneurotic is to unrecorded harmoniously successful your house, intent upon God successful oneness of caput and heart," the Rule of St. Augustine reads. "Call thing your own, but fto everything beryllium yours successful common. Food and covering shall beryllium distributed to each of you by your superior, not arsenic to all, for each bash not bask adjacent health, but alternatively according to each one's need. For truthful you work successful the Acts of the Apostles that 'they had each things successful communal and organisation was made to each 1 according to each one's need.'”

How galore Augustinians are there?

The Order of St. Augustine includes immoderate 2,800 Augustinians successful 47 countries passim the world.

Contributing: Greg Giesen, Delaware News Journal 

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is simply a trending quality newsman for USA TODAY. Reach him astatine fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and travel him connected X @fern_cerv_.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: What is an Augustinian? What to cognize aft Pope Leo XIV's election