Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV lives in the Vatican, the independent city-state in Rome. Like his predecessors, he resides in the Apostolic Palace (or potentially the Casa Santa Marta, as Pope Francis preferred), within Vatican City.

Pope Leo XIV holds dual nationality: he is both American (born in Chicago, Illinois) and Peruvian (citizenship acquired during his long years as a missionary and bishop in Peru). He is the first pope to hold U.S. citizenship.

Pope Leo XIV was born on September 14, 1955, making him 69 years old at the time of his election in May 2025. He is one of the younger popes elected in recent decades.

Pope Leo XIV's exact height has not been officially confirmed or widely reported by reliable sources. No credible figure is on the public record, so any specific number circulating online should be treated as unverified.

His birth name is Robert Francis Prevost. He took the papal name Leo XIV upon his election on May 8, 2025, as is traditional for newly elected popes.

Leo XIV is a Roman Catholic priest and bishop who holds orthodox Catholic doctrine. He is broadly considered a moderate: theologically in line with Church tradition, but pastorally oriented toward mercy, social justice, and care for the poor, consistent with his Augustinian formation and his experience as a missionary in Latin America. His choice of the name Leo is widely read as a signal of commitment to Catholic social teaching.

Pope Leo XIV was born on September 14, 1955. As of 2025, he is 69 years old, turning 70 in September 2025.

Pope Leo XIV is the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, elected on May 8, 2025. Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, he is the first American in history to be elected pope, and brings decades of missionary experience in Peru to the role.

Pope Leo XIV, also written as Pope Leo 14, is Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago-born Augustinian friar elected as the 267th Bishop of Rome on May 8, 2025. He previously served as head of the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis.

Pope Leo XIV's parents are Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martinez Prevost. His father was of French and Spanish Creole descent, and his mother had Spanish heritage. They raised their family in Chicago. Beyond these publicly reported details, little further information about them is on the verified public record.

He is named after Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903), the Italian pope who issued *Rerum Novarum* in 1891, the landmark encyclical that laid the foundations of modern Catholic social teaching on labor rights, economic justice, and the dignity of workers. The choice of name is a clear doctrinal and political signal.

Following tradition, the election was announced from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica by the Cardinal Protodeacon, who proclaimed the famous "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") and revealed the new pope's name. Pope Leo XIV then appeared on the balcony to give his first blessing to the crowd in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Leo XIV's mother is Mildred Martinez Prevost. She is reported to have had Spanish heritage. Beyond her name and background, detailed biographical information about her is not widely confirmed in reliable public sources.

Pope Leo XIV's father is Louis Marius Prevost, reported to be of French and Spanish Creole descent. The family was based in Chicago, where Robert Francis Prevost grew up. Further private details about his father are not part of the verified public record.

Pope Francis elevated Robert Francis Prevost to the rank of Cardinal on September 30, 2023, at a consistory in Rome. The elevation came shortly after Francis had appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a clear sign of trust in his judgment about appointing bishops worldwide.

Pope Leo XIV's personal papal secretary has not been publicly confirmed in widely reported sources as of mid-2025. Newly elected popes typically appoint or retain a personal secretary shortly after election; once officially announced, that appointment will be part of the public record.

Pope Leo XIV was born into a Chicago family; his parents are Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martinez Prevost. He has brothers, including John Prevost, who has spoken publicly to media since the election. As a vowed Augustinian friar and priest, he has no spouse or children. Beyond immediate family members who have appeared in press coverage, further private family details are not confirmed.

Before his election, Robert Francis Prevost's personal X (formerly Twitter) account had publicly shared or engaged with articles critical of certain Trump administration immigration policies, a fact widely reported by media after his election put his social media history under scrutiny. As pope, Leo XIV has not yet made any direct, named statement about Donald Trump on the public record as of mid-2025. His pre-election social media activity suggests sympathy for migrants and the poor, consistent with Catholic social teaching.

Pope Leo XIV is the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, the 267th person to hold the office of Bishop of Rome. He is also the first American pope in the Church's 2,000-year history, elected on May 8, 2025.

He is known, above all, for being the first American-born pope in history, a genuinely unprecedented milestone. Before that, he was known within the Church for his two-decade missionary career in Peru, his leadership as Bishop of Chiclayo, and his role as Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops, where he had significant influence over episcopal appointments worldwide.