By Amofokhai Williams
History was made on Thursday as the Catholic Church elected Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old American cleric from Chicago, as the 269th pontiff.
This marks the first time a pope has hailed from the United States.
He will be known as Pope Leo XIV. The announcement drew thunderous applause from thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, welcoming a new era in the leadership of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
The Alarmee reports that Pope Leo XIV brings decades of global ecclesiastical experience to the papacy, having spent significant time in South America as a missionary.
He served for ten years in Trujillo, Peru, before becoming the Bishop of Chiclayo from 2014 to 2023.
Most recently, he held a high-ranking role in the Vatican as the head of the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, responsible for overseeing global episcopal appointments.
In a previous interview with Vatican News, he described his enduring missionary spirit: “I still consider myself a missionary.
“My vocation, like that of every Christian, is to be a missionary, to proclaim the Gospel wherever one is.”
Pope Leo XIV is expected to continue and deepen the reforms initiated by his predecessor, Pope Francis, with a focus on global inclusion, pastoral outreach, and Church renewal.
