The first American pope, Robert Francis Prevost, had a background serving as a missionary in Peru and had a deep understanding of the inner workings of the Church. His predecessor Francis appointed the new Leo XIV, a native of Chicago, to lead the influential Dicastery for Bishops, which was tasked with advising the pope on the selection of new bishops.
Francis’s expression of confidence reflects Prevost’s dedication as a missionary in Peru to the “peripheries”—overlooked regions far from Rome that Francis prioritized—as well as his standing as a bridge-builder and moderate within the Curia.
Francis elevated the 69-year-old Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo, Peru, a cardinal in 2023 after appointing him as prefect of the dicastery, one of the most significant divisions within the Vatican, which introduced him to all of the Church’s major figures. Vatican experts had given Prevost the strongest prospects among the group of US cardinals of being pope, given his pastoral inclination, global outlook and ability to navigate the central bureaucracy.
He was referred to as “the least American of the Americans” by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica because of his kind manner. His solid foundation in canon law has also been viewed as comforting by more conservative cardinals who want to emphasize theology more.
