Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the new pope and head of the 1.4 billion-strong Roman Catholic Church, choosing the name Pope Leo XIV.
Leo’s selection is historic: He is the first American pope, and the first Augustinian. He also speaks five languages and has spent two-thirds of his life outside the US, serving as a cardinal in Europe and Latin America.
“A private man with a reserved style,” his international experience, work ethic, language skills, and time spent picking global bishops likely helped him overcome a long-standing reluctance among cardinals to vote for an American, the National Catholic Reporter noted.
Källa: American cardinal Robert Francis Prevost named pope, chooses name Pope Leo XIV