Who is Pope Leo XIV, the first US pontiff?

The achromatic fume has billowed, and the Catholic religion has a new pope – and he’s American.

Cardinals astatine the Vatican elected the Chicago-born Robert Prevost connected Thursday to pb the church, succeeding Pope Francis, who died past month.

Prevost took the sanction Leo XIV arsenic helium became the archetypal pontiff from the United States.

“Peace beryllium with you,” were his archetypal words arsenic pope.

Here is simply a look astatine the caller pope and his travel from the US Midwest to the apical of the religion of 1.4 cardinal people.

What is Pope Leo’s background?

Born successful Chicago successful 1955 to parents of French, Italian and Spanish descent, Leo’s begetter was a schoolhouse main and his parent had degrees successful room subject and acquisition and was profoundly progressive successful the St Mary of the Assumption that the household attended.

Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times cited Leo’s friends and chap religion goers arsenic saying that helium was dedicated to his religion and way to priesthood from a young age.

Leo graduated with a grade successful mathematics from the University of Villanova successful Pennsylvania successful 1977. He besides studied religion astatine the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

In 1982, helium received a doctorate successful religion instrumentality from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas successful Rome earlier being sent to service successful a Catholic ngo successful Peru.

In the consequent decades, helium roseate done the ranks of the religion arsenic helium bounced betwixt Chicago and Peru.

Pope Francis made him the Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, successful 2015 earlier giving him greater responsibilities wrong the church. That aforesaid year, Prevost besides became a Peruvian citizen.

In 2023, helium became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a cardinal Catholic administrative body, based successful Rome.

What is an Augustinian?

In his archetypal nationalist remarks arsenic pope, Leo introduced himself arsenic an Augustinian – an bid wrong the Catholic Church that follows the teachings of St Augustine of Hippo, which emphasise love, harmony, humility and dedication to the spiritual assemblage of the church.

The word besides describes individuals who beryllium to spiritual orders, and Pope Leo is conscionable 1 of 34 popes retired of 266 to person done so.

Such orders are a assemblage of Catholics, which tin see priests, nuns, monks and oregon laic people, dedicated to a peculiar benignant of ngo and spirituality.

Pope Francis was the archetypal pope from the Jesuit spiritual bid ever, and the archetypal successful much than a period and a fractional to travel from immoderate spiritual order.

What did the pope accidental successful his archetypal speech?

Leo suggested that helium would travel successful Francis’s footsteps. The precocious pope was mostly seen arsenic a transformational fig who took the religion successful a progressive absorption and focused connected promoting the rights of the mediocre and marginalised.

“Let america support successful our ears the anemic but ever brave dependable of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome – the pope who blessed Rome and the satellite that time connected the greeting of Easter,” Leo said.

In his last Easter message, days earlier helium died, Francis called for bid and disarmament.

Why Leo?

When it comes to popes, names matter. New pontiffs often take caller names arsenic tribute to a saint oregon predecessor.

For example, Pope Francis took the sanction of St Francis of Assisi, who renounced worldly goods and dedicated his beingness to the poor.

The past Leo to pb the church, Pope Leo XIII, championed the rights of workers.

“Up until that time, the church’s hierarchy tended to beryllium identified with the precocious class, and truthful Leo XIII enactment a redirection connected the church, and surely galore of the popes since that clip person built connected that,” Father James Bretzke, prof of theology astatine John Carroll University, told Al Jazeera.

What are his politics?

Church leaders are not politicians, but religion is intertwined with nationalist affairs. Leo has fixed hints of his authorities implicit the years, peculiarly successful advocating for the rights of migrants.

In 2015, Leo shared an nonfiction by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, criticising then-candidate Donald Trump’s anti-immigration proposals. The file was titled: Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is truthful problematic.

In February, helium again appeared to criticise the Trump administration’s migration policies, taking purpose astatine Vice President JD Vance’s statement that radical should emotion others adjacent to them much than strangers.

Leo shared an nonfiction proclaiming: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t inquire america to fertile our emotion for others.”

Where does helium basal connected pistillate priests?

The statement implicit allowing women to beryllium priests has been raging wrong the Catholic Church, but Leo does not look to beryllium successful favour of the change.

“Something that needs to beryllium said besides is that ordaining women – and there’s been immoderate women that person said this, interestingly capable – ‘clericalising women’ doesn’t needfully lick a problem, it mightiness marque a caller problem,” helium told reporters successful 2023.

What has helium said astir enactment maltreatment scandals?

Leo’s Augustinian Order has faced disapproval implicit transparency successful dealing with enactment maltreatment cases that person rocked the church.

In 2023, Leo called for focusing connected the victims erstwhile it comes to this issue.

“There are places wherever bully enactment has already been done for years, and the rules are being enactment into practice. At the aforesaid time, I judge that determination is inactive overmuch to learn,” helium told Vatican News successful 2023.

“I americium talking astir the urgency and work of accompanying victims.”

How does helium comparison to different popes, age-wise?

At 69, Leo is younger than his past 2 predecessors erstwhile they became pontiffs. Francis was 76. Benedict XVI was 78. But helium is older than John Paul II, who was 58 erstwhile helium became pope – 1 of the youngest pontiffs successful modern history.

What does helium bash successful his spare time?

He likes tennis, spending clip with friends and “meeting a wide scope of antithetic people”.

“I see myself rather the amateur tennis player. Since leaving Peru, I person had fewer occasions to practise, truthful I americium looking guardant to getting backmost connected the court,” helium told the Augustinian Order website successful 2023.