Who is the new pope? American Cardinal Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV

After conscionable 1 time of seclusion successful the Vatican, cardinals ended the 2025 papal conclave with the election of a caller pontiff. The antheral chosen, Cardinal Robert Prevost, volition beryllium known arsenic Pope Leo XIV — the archetypal pope ever from the United States.

Here's what to cognize astir him.

What was Pope Leo XIV's grounds arsenic Cardinal Robert Prevost?

Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost is the archetypal U.S. pope successful the church's history. He is besides a national of Peru, wherever helium worked for galore years.

Prevost was the caput of the church's Dicastery for Bishops, meaning helium oversaw the enactment of caller bishops.

Overall, he's considered a centrist, but connected galore societal issues he's seen arsenic progressive, embracing marginalized groups similar Francis, who championed migrants and the poor. But Prevost opposes ordaining women arsenic deacons, for instance, truthful he's seen arsenic blimpish connected religion doctrine.

Where is Pope Leo XIV from?

Pope Leo XIV was calved successful Chicago, Illinois, successful 1955. He studied theology astatine the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

When helium was 27, helium was sent to Rome to study, and helium was ordained arsenic a clergyman successful 1982. He past went to enactment arsenic a missionary Peru.

He returned to the U.S. for a fewer years and past went backmost to Peru, wherever helium ran an Augustinian seminary successful Trujillo.

In 2014, helium was appointed apostolic head of the Diocese of Chiclayo successful Peru by Pope Francis, according to the Vatican. A twelvemonth later, helium became a bishop.

Pope Francis made him a cardinal successful 2023.

Why bash popes alteration their names?

The archetypal enactment of a caller pope aft he's elected is to choose a caller name. This is to signify that his becoming pontiff is akin to a 2nd birth, the Vatican said. Also, successful the aboriginal years of Christianity, galore popes changed their names due to the fact that their commencement names were of pagan origin.

The precedent to prime a caller sanction was acceptable by the archetypal pope, St. Peter, whose commencement sanction was Simon.

But not each popes person selected caller names. Out of the 267 popes passim history, lone 129 person chosen caller names, according to the Vatican.

How bash popes take their names?

Popes sometimes take the sanction of a caller predecessor retired of respect oregon to bespeak a tendency to proceed successful their footsteps, the Vatican said. Others prime a sanction that isn't linked to immoderate caller predecessors successful bid to amusement their tendency to innovate.

The prime often reflects attributes they anticipation to embody successful their papacy.

The sanction a caller pope chooses volition "indicate a definite tone and absorption and imaginativeness of the caller pope," said Dennis Doyle, a theologian and prof emeritus of spiritual studies astatine the University of Dayton.

Pope Francis, for example, was the archetypal pope successful past to instrumentality that name, a motion to St. Francis of Assisi. In Catholic tradition, St. Francis of Assisi had a mystical imaginativeness of Jesus, who told him to rebuild his church. He besides renounced his wealthiness and founded the Franciscan bid of friars successful 1290.

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