A month ago, as the new Pope emerged to address St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Catholics around the world celebrated and Americans stood amazed at the historic appointment of a U.S. citizen to this post. In Chicago, the South Side neighborhood where he grew up swelled with pride and the White Sox baseball team honored him with a mural. At the same time, while President Trump posted the it was an honor to have an American Pope, the President of Peru declared “El Papa es Peruano… Dios ama el Perú!” (“The Pope is Peruvian… God loves Peru!”) and people in Trujillo and Chiclayo, Peruvian rural areas where he had worked for decades, were overcome with emotion for their Padre Roberto. In Patterson, New Jersey, home to the largest Peruvian diaspora in the U.S., parishioners lined up to take their picture with a poster of the new Pope, a Peruvian-American like them. Meanwhile, the Black Catholic Messenger highlighted his partly creole ancestry, which makes him “the first Pope of African descent since the fifth century”.[i] Everyone, it seems, wants to claim this undeniably powerful moral voice as “one of us”.

Who is Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, now Pope Leo XIV, the 267th leader of the Catholic Church, a millennial institution with outreach in nearly every corner of the globe? A common thread that emerges from biographies and descriptions by Church leaders, brother priests, family members and friends – and perhaps most importantly, from his own words and actions – is that he considers himself a member of the broadest category of “us”: the human family. Aside from naturally identifying this way as a Christian – acknowledging the union of each sacred human life in God and the universality of Christ’s presence – his personal trajectory also seems to indicate a genuine melding of his roots with his lived experiences around the world, into an identity that transcends particular groups while also celebrating how these cultures have enriched his life. This itself could be seen as his first exhortation for unity, in a world that insists on dividing itself into particular and separate ethnic identities.

A Pope from the Americas for the World

“All-American” U.S. Roots and an Augustinian Training

Robert Prevost Martínez was born in Chicago in 1955, into a family with Spanish, French, Italian and Creole ancestry. His paternal grandfather was an Italian immigrant and his maternal grandparents, of Haitian/Spanish and Creole ancestry, were from New Orleans; they moved to Chicago in the early 20^th century.  His devout Catholic parents settled in the South Side of the city, where his mother worked as a librarian and his father as a school superintendent. Robert and his brothers attended a Catholic school, and the Church was an integral part of their family life. As a grandchild of immigrants and child of parents with middle-class jobs, Robert Prevost comes from a fairly typical American background for that time. His marked inclination for a spiritual life, from a very early age, was not so typical, however: according to his brothers, he enjoyed “playing priest” as a child, and by the age of 14 he joined an Augustinian junior seminary in nearby Michigan.

His undergraduate studies were at Villanova University, one of only two Augustinian Catholic higher education institutions in the United States, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1977. In 1982, he earned a Master of Divinity from Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union; he then moved to Rome to study cannon law at the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas, obtaining a licentiate degree in 1984 and then a doctoral degree in 1987.   

In 1977, Robert Prevost joined the Augustinians, and was ordained an Augustinian priest in 1982. His Augustinian formation has fundamentally shaped his spiritual trajectory, since his days as a teenage seminarian, followed by Villanova University, and his complete immersion in the Order since then, culminating in its global leadership. The Augustinians are a mendicant Catholic Order originating in Medieval Europe, followers of the North African Saint Augustine of Hippo, who called upon his friars to “have one heart and soul living together towards God”. Thus, Augustinians have a strong sense of community: no individual can find God alone – he or she must go to God together with others, and “all work shall be for the common purpose”. This work fundamentally involves lifting up the neediest among us, given that “love has the hands to help others”, in St. Augustine’s words; it also involves forgiveness and having mercy for the excluded, drawing them into the community.[ii]

Peru: A Transformative Gift

When the new Pope unexpectedly broke into Spanish in his first address to the world, he did so with a personal message specifically for the faithful of Chiclayo, Peru, showing his heartfelt affinity for them and making clear to the world that his Peruvian experience is an integral part of his identity. His overall experience in Peru lasted for several decades, beginning with an appointment in 1985 to do missionary work and lead an Augustinian seminary in Chalucanas and then in the Northwestern town of Trujillo for nearly a decade. In 2014, he returned to Peru as Apostolic Administrator and then Bishop of Chiclayo, appointed by Pope Francis, and remained in this role until 2023. In 2015, he acquired Peruvian citizenship.

According to numerous accounts by local people and fellow priests, his experiences there could hardly have been more transformative – from learning Spanish from scratch and daily life in a marginalized region to protecting his seminarians from Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) violent anti-church guerrilla members. In his early years in Peru, Padre Roberto constructed two Augustinian churches and started a local school after realizing that children had to walk too far to reach school in another town.[iii] He also organized vigils against violence both by guerrillas and government death-squads, and spoke against authoritarian abuses, seeking pardons for those jailed without due process. According to Diego García Sayán, a former Peruvian justice minister, “he had a deep grasp of Latin America’s reality”.[iv] In the later stage as Bishop, he waded through streets helping people during torrential flooding and drove to remote villages to deliver food and blankets. During the Covid19 pandemic, he managed to supply his diocese with two new oxygen-production plants.

He gained respect from local people for his hands-on approach, his closeness with each member of the community and his sincere efforts to understand and improve their lives. According to Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez of Chiclayo, Prevost was an example of service and humility. His “relationship with the faithful was very simple, I think due to his ability to listen […] he looked at you and listened to you until you were finished; then he gave you simple yet profound advice.”[v] He also revived charitable organizations in Chiclayo and had strong outreach with young people. According to Janina Sesa from Chiclayo’s Caritas nonprofit, Prevost was the sort of person who always worked hard to find help, ate any simple food that was offered to him, and “had no problem fixing a broken-down truck until it runs”.[vi] More than 10,000 faithful gathered at a Mass in Chiclayo to give thanks for his papacy, where the current Bishop called him “a shepherd with the smell of sheep”, remembering his work during the pandemic and his deeply human response to the needs of all.[vii]

According to Father Guillermo Inca Pereda, member of the Peruvian Bishops Council who worked with Prevost, Peru’s rich manifestations of popular faith and the complex social issues faced in marginalized areas informed Prevost’s views on the type of work the Church should be doing.[viii] As Bishop, Cardinal and now as Pope, Prevost has spoken of his time in Peru with a great deal of gratitude. In an interview last summer, he emphasized “how gifted I feel because of my years working in Peru…I hope that every priest can say that about wherever he works”.[ix] In his introductory address to employees of the Holy See, he again stated that “in the midst of the Peruvian people, my pastoral vocation matured. I will never be able to thank the Lord enough for this gift!”[x]

A Global Administrator

Robert Prevost left Peru in 1999 to head the Augustinian Province of Chicago; shortly thereafter, in 2001, he was elected Prior General of the Augustinian Order globally, a post he occupied until 2014. In this capacity, he travelled all over the world and gained experience observing how Augustinian missions work in vastly different cultural contexts, as well as bringing members of the Order together, reminding them of their common aims. According to the Augustinian President of Villanova University, he was skilled at constantly dealing with “conflicts that are going on in different cultures”, as well as “engaging us as a community in the work we do and how we respond to people’s needs”.[xi]

In 2023, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Prevost Prefect of the Dicastry of Bishops, a high-profile role where he was charged with selecting and supervising Bishops around the world; at the same time, he became President of the Pontifical Commission of Latin America. Within a few months, Pope Francis appointed him as Cardinal, putting him among the highest-ranking members of the Church.

A Humble Messenger of Unity 

At the age of 69, Robert Prevost has been forged into a global person over the years. As leader of the Catholic Church, his background provides concrete tools that will surely help in expanding the Church’s outreach. He has a transcontinental identity: the Vatican refers to him officially as the “second Pope from the Americas”. He is fluent in Spanish, Italian and Latin, and also the first Pope to be a native speaker of English. This will be useful not only because English is the current “global language”, but also because it will create a greater sense of personal closeness for a massive number of native English-speaking Catholics across the world.

According to historians, he can be considered the first truly “missionary” Pope since the 4^th century, because he left his home country to directly serve the people of another country for a long period of time, while previous Popes have been Bishops in their native countries or from the Church Curia in Rome (although they may have been Papal diplomats in foreign countries, or made shorter missionary trips abroad as Popes). Thus, although all Popes have a fundamental mission to spread the Gospel, Pope Leo XIV has organically experienced this mission and will have personal insights into how it is done at a grassroots level.

The combination of multicultural life experiences, Augustinian missionary affiliation and top ecclesiastical positions have allowed him to develop a rich sense of universality: an understanding of diverse needs and ground realities, as well as a deep conviction in our common humanity.

At a personal level, “the Church has required him to make big changes in his life”, according to the Spanish Augustinian Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, a friend of Prevost’s, who adds that he has accepted these with faithful willingness.[xii] At the same time, his deep spirituality has been a constant from a young age, as have been his basic personality traits, described by those closest to him as “humble”, ‘low profile”, “prudent”, “patient”, and “personable”. Others describe him as someone who loves to drive, to sing and to fix things, having worked in a plumbing parts warehouse during his teenage years.[xiii] In Marín’s words, he is a person who, although “somewhat reserved”, doesn’t “govern from his office – he goes out to meet people”, and who is basically a “simple, genuine, authentic person”.[xiv]

Strengthening Faith, Unity and Peace in an Age of Revolutionary Change

Pope Leo XIV’s belief in the upmost importance of reaffirming unity in diversity is evident in his choice of Papal motto, St. Augustine’s words In illo uno unum, explained by him as “Christ is our Saviour and in him we are One, a family of God, beyond the rich varieties of our languages, cultures and experiences”.[xv] How can this spiritual unity – together with its necessary corollary, a sense of universal human solidarity – be strengthened? How does Pope Leo XIV define the current challenges to our human community, and the strategies of the Catholic Church for facing these? 

In the Footsteps of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Francis

Prevost chose the name Leo XIV as a conscious way to honor the legacy of Pope Leo XIII, who presided over the Church between 1878 and 1903, a turbulent time of rapid change marked by the industrial revolution, massive inequalities, and the rise of atheist Marxist ideology. In our age, Pope Francis faced what he termed a global “polycrisis”: a world marked by multiple disruptive changes, including climate change, rapid technological advances, and economic globalization, in a context of exacerbated individualism and materialism. Both Pope Leo XIII and Pope Francis recognized the existential changes of their respective historical era, acknowledged the resulting spiritual and social ruptures, and emphasized the need for the Church to renew faith in God’s universal love and thus our sense of shared fraternity.

Pope Leo XIV has stated that we are still facing the “polycrisis” that Pope Francis described, and that today’s revolutionary changes – particularly related to digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence – are as disruptive as the Industrial Revolution faced by Pope Leo XIII, and “pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”[xvi] He has added that our current age is characterized by “too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest.”[xvii] He has also lamented the loss of faith in “settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure”, with a resulting “loss of meaning in life”.[xviii]

Thus, in his first message to the world, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that this turbulent world needs Christ’s light: “Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love”.[xix] Given his background, it is unsurprising that he has called for a “missionary Church” – for renewed efforts to spread the Gospel in the most inclusive ways possible. In his first Holy Mass, he emphasized the need to reaffirm our common humanity at the broadest level: “we are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.”[xx]

The Importance of An Active Social Doctrine

Both Pope Leo XIII and Pope Francis emphasized that our love for each other as “brothers and sisters” must be active, particularly in times of deep crises that cause marginalization, and that the Church is charged with providing concrete directives that foster solidarity and social justice. Pope Leo XIII’s groundbreaking encyclical Rerum Novarum (“On the Condition of Labor”) addressed all Christians, not only Catholics, and it rejected the socialist approach by presenting an alternative: a new Church doctrine engaged not only with spiritual concerns but also with social justice. Thus, it addressed the conditions of workers in concrete ways, calling for more just wages and protections. More than a century later, building on further advances in Church social doctrine, Pope Francis again emphasized the need for a transformative approach, calling upon all Christians – and indeed, all of humanity – to take urgent action to mitigate extreme social inequalities caused by globalization and to care for the Earth, “our common home”. He expressed the Church’s comprehensive commitment to social and environmental justice in the transformative encyclicals Fratelli Tutti (Brothers and Sisters All) and Laudato Si (Praise Be To You).

Pope Leo XIV has strongly aligned with Francis’ view of our current challenges and has highlighted many of the priorities outlined in Fratelli Tutti and Laudato Si, indicating that he is likely to steer the Church’s social doctrine in the same general direction. In a recent address, his words echoed Pope Francis when stressing that “the Holy See cannot fail to make its voice heard in the face of imbalances and injustices that lead, not least, to unworthy working conditions and increasingly fragmented and conflict-ridden societies. Every effort should be made to overcome the global inequalities  - between opulence and destitution – that are carving deep divides between continents, countries and even within individual societies.”[xxi]

With regard to climate change, he is clearly poised to continue with Pope Francis’ work, and make it a concrete reality. As Cardinal last year he called for humanity to build “a relationship of reciprocity” with the environment, and spoke about moving “from words to action”.[xxii] He has also been vocal about migrants and refugees, even drawing on his own background to highlight the compassion we should have for migrants, as he did in one of his first papal audiences last month: “my own story is that of a citizen, the descendent of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate. All of us, in the course of our lives, can find ourselves healthy or sick, employed or unemployed, living in our native land or in a foreign country, yet our dignity always remains unchanged: it is the dignity of a creature willed and loved by God.”[xxiii] 

Key Challenges in Today’s World: War and Artificial Intelligence

In addition to supporting these causes, Pope Leo XIV will undoubtedly also chart his own course over time. it is still too early to say which of the vast areas of social concern will become Pope Leo XIV’s priorities. However, his speeches and homilies over the past month reveal a marked emphasis on the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and on the disruptive power of digital technologies and, specifically, Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Pope Leo XIV has made specific appeals for ending hostilities in Ukraine and for facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza, stressing the terrible loss of life and suffering of civilians in both these regions. When meeting with leaders of the Oriental Churches, Pope Leo XIV commended their efforts to rise up from the violence that plagues the Middle East and Ukraine, from “this horror, from the slaughter of so many young people, which ought to provoke outrage because lives are being sacrificed in the name of military conquest.”[xxiv]

He has offered the Vatican as a site for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which is also supported by Italy’s President, although the possibility of any negotiation does not seem promising at the moment. He has appealed to the leaders of warring nations overall: “let us meet, let us talk, let us negotiate! War is never inevitable […] Those who make history are the peacemakers, not those who sow the seeds of suffering. Our neighbors are not first our enemies, but our fellow human beings…Let us reject the Manichean notions so typical of that mindset of violence that divides the world into those who are good and those who are evil.”[xxv]

With regard to AI, the new Pope recognizes that this revolutionary technology can help to advance diverse fields at the service of humanity, but he has also continually warned that its’ unregulated growth can fracture our common humanity, through its intertwined effects on truth, peace and justice. By making it easier to distort the truth and spread misinformation, it exacerbates conflicts: “Truly peaceful relationships cannot be built…apart from truth. Where the virtual world, with its altered perception of reality, takes over unchecked, it is difficult to build authentic relationships, since the objective and real premises of communication are lacking.”[xxvi] At the same time, it is already displacing many human occupations, causing unemployment and deepening social inequalities, which in turn will disrupt peace.     

Inclusion, Dialogue and Listening as Essential Approaches

Facing these global spiritual and social challenges requires “commitment and cooperation on the part of all.”[xxvii]  Pope Francis repeatedly cited inclusion and dialogue as the two-pronged approach that should be utilized to foster unity and achieve the goals of the Church. Pope Leo XIV fully embraces these as well, based on his own spiritual convictions and life experiences, where building community while respecting differences has been fundamental. In his first appearance, Pope Leo XIV explicitly called for a Church that “builds bridges and encourages dialogue”, and “a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward and embraces all.”[xxviii]

Being inclusive of the most marginalized voices and building bridges even with those that are most different from us are key aspects of the Augustinian ethos. Thus, Prevost has stated that the voices of those on the periphery must be heard so that their faith and needs inform the Church’s work, rather than the inverse: “those born and raised far from the centers of power should not merely be taught the Church’s social doctrine; they should also be recognized as carrying it forward and putting it into practice […] popular movements and the various Catholic workers’ groups are an expression of those existential peripheries where hope endures and springs anew. I urge you to let the voice of the poor be heard.”[xxix]

Likewise, with regard to dehumanized, distorted communications, the new Pope laments that “there is so little dialogue around us; shouting often replaces it, not infrequently in the form of fake news and irrational arguments proposed by a few loud voices. Deeper reflection and study are essential, as well as a commitment to encounter and to listen […]”[xxx] He calls for more critical thinking and media that generates inclusion and dialogue, rather than bias, as well as having the patience to listen carefully and truly understand others with respect for their viewpoints, instead of trying to talk over them or distort their views.

A “synodal” Church refers to efforts to make the institution more inclusive of different viewpoints; this process began with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in 1965. Pope Francis launched an initiative to deepen synodality and make the Church more participatory by opening discussions on church teachings to the lay public, including women, which Prevost actively participated in. Pope Leo XIV’s Augustinian affiliation makes him naturally “synodal”, since the aim of Augustinians is broadening inclusion, and the structure of the Order is also very horizontal and involves the participation of all friars.[xxxi]

A key component of inclusion and dialogue is the capacity to listen patiently – to step back from the constant noise of a fast-paced, impersonal, “sound-byte” world and take the time to gain a deeper understanding of others and their needs. This is a common thread running through Pope Leo XIV’s speeches and homilies: “It is important for us to learn to listen more, to enter into dialogue, First and foremost, with the Lord….then also listen to others, to know how to build bridges, how to listen without judging, not closing the doors thinking that we have all the truth and no-one else can tell us anything.”[xxxii] Nearly everyone who has known Robert Prevost agrees that listening is one of his most notable traits, and he will bring a natural inclusiveness and capacity for dialogue to the Papacy.

A Balanced Voice for Turbulent Times

Pope Leo XIV is charged with the challenging task of heading a sprawling global institution composed of complex layers of authority, multiple religious orders with differing missions, and thousands of individual priests in parishes across every possible type of social context. Thus, the moral doctrines and ideals of the Catholic Church will constantly face a ground reality that includes misinterpretations, distortions and outright corruption. Healing wounds within the Church, particularly addressing notable cases of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, is an ongoing task that Pope Leo XIV will also need to face. In his own diocese of Chiclayo, there were allegations of abuse on the part of two priests; according to some sources, these were not properly addressed by Prevost as Bishop, although according to others there was an inquiry, and an investigation by the local prosecutor is still ongoing.[xxxiii]

In terms of the Catholic Church’s concrete relations with national political institutions, it will likely continue to take positions on social issues– based on its particular interpretation of human dignity and social doctrine outlined above - that will be controversial, debated and criticized by sectors from all ends of the political spectrum. In the current U.S. scenario, where the Catholic Church is as polarized as the overall public on political issues, the new Pope is seen as a possible moderating voice, less controversial than Pope Francis. Analysts of the U.S. Catholic Church agree that as an American, he understands the mindset of conservatives, who may be less likely to dismiss him as a “Marxist” outsider, as they did with Pope Francis. Indeed, some of his actions have been seen approvingly by the right, such as his audience with the Opus Dei (a powerful conservative group) in his first days as Pope, and his apparent reluctance to be as open towards the LGBTQ community as Pope Francis.

On the other hand, given his background and beliefs, as described above, it is generally agreed that he will adhere to Pope Francis’ overall vision. According to Massimo Faggioli, professor at Villanova University, Prevost cannot be defined as a traditionalist – “he comes from a centrist moderate Catholic tradition, and is very progressive on the issues of immigration and refugees”.[xxxiv] Indeed, as Cardinal, he re-posted criticisms of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on his social media account. Although he is not as charismatic as Pope Francis, his training as a cannon lawyer gives him the solid institutional authority and experience to carry out important changes, according to Cathleen Kaveny, a Boston College professor of Law and Theology.[xxxv] He is also known for having strong convictions and will take a stand on issues that are important to him, such as serving the most underprivileged.

If his Papacy is viewed from a larger, spiritual perspective, the hype over being the first “American Pope” who is “neither woke nor MAGA” should be of secondary importance, and his broader message of universal unity should take precedence, providing an antidote for the over-polarization of today’s society. This is the hope expressed by Father Peter Donahue, Villanova University President and Prevost’s close friend: beyond being an American, as an Augustinian with a strong sense of community building bridges and opening dialogue is “what his Papacy will be about”. He will “work to bring people together; I’m hoping people will respond well to his message, what he calls people to be, and that is what will ignite them to come back [to the Church]”.[xxxvi]

Ultimately, Pope Leo XIV is faced with the task of continuing to revitalize one of humanity’s oldest institutions, making it a central voice on 21^st century issues and accessible and vibrant for approximately 1.4 billion diverse Catholics around the world. They share his faith that he may continue to steer the Church along the path that Christ likely intended – not as the often authoritarian, coercive power of previous centuries, nor as an irrelevant voice drowned out by modern secular culture and technological advances, but as a steady spiritual force: “an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world.”[xxxvii]

As a person, Pope Leo XIV’s humility and integrity as a missionary worker alongside the most vulnerable, his genuine embrace of our common identity as human beings - above and beyond ethnicities or borders - and his example as the patient, dependable Father Bob and loving Padre Roberto give hope that the we all have gained a strong moral guide for turbulent times.