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About Pope Leo XIV. Meet Robert Prevost, the First American Pope in History
“From Chicago to the Vatican: The Unbelievable Journey of Pope Leo XIV”
For this piece, based on my research findings, I want to talk about how a Math Major from the Windy City Became the First American Pope…
So I was scrolling through the news, when a headline stopped me halfway: “Chicago Native Elected as Pope.” Wait? Did someone from the Windy City just become the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide?
Yes, indeed. On May 8, 2025, history was made as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a humble priast from Chicago, was elected the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
From Chicago’s Streets to Peru’s Heart:
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was borne in 1955 to immigrant parents in Chicago, Robert Prevost’s journey to the papacy was anything but conventional.
After earning a degree in mathematics from Villanova University, he felt a higher calling and joined the Order of St. Augustine. His path led him to Peru, where he spent nearly two decades serving as a missionary, parish priest, seminary professor, and administrator.
