Pope Leo XIV, a Bridge Between the Vatican and the USA
- Teo Drinkovic
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian born Robert Francis Prevost, the church leader destined to bring the Catholic Church into the 21st century
Introduction
After Pope Francis, a Jesuit from South America, died, the Holy See was occupied for the first time by a North American from the United States, Robert Francis Prevost. He is the first American and the first member of the Order of Saint Augustine to be elected to the Chair of Peter as the 267th pope.
This move demonstrated the Catholic Church’s openness to change and paved the way for the people of the United States. Both of these popes broke with the long tradition of choosing European heads of the Catholic Church, each bringing a breath of his homeland to the Vatican.
Childhood and Family
Pope Leo XIV was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, into a working-class family in Dolton, Illinois. He was one of three children of Louis Marius Prevost, a World War II Navy veteran of French-Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, a trained librarian of Creole descent from Louisiana. Wikipedia
The Prevost family, with Italian-French and Spanish-Creole roots, was deeply connected to the local parish of St. Mary of the Assumption, where Robert served as an altar boy and sang in the church choir. According to recent research, his family’s immigrant story runs deeper: his grandfather Salvatore Riggitano arrived from Milazzo, Sicily, in 1903 and came to Chicago under the name John R. Prevost. Guardian
One of the most oft-recounted family anecdotes describes how Robert and his brother and sister would reenact every liturgical scene—from Communion to the homily—after Sunday Mass in their living room, using improvised vestments and mimicking their parish priest. From an early age, this play revealed Robert’s bent for church life, leadership, and preaching—traits that would define his future path.
Education
He completed elementary school in Dolton, then in 1969 enrolled at St. Augustine Seminary High School in Saugatuck, where he served as yearbook editor and student council secretary, and participated in debate competitions. Wikipedia
From 1973 to 1977, he studied mathematics at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, working on a cemetery crew to assist at funerals. After earning his mathematics degree, he obtained a Master of Theology in 1982 from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Priestly Mission, the Augustinian Order, and Episcopal Duties
Robert entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and made his solemn vows in 1981. He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, and during the 1980s and ’90s served as a missionary in Peru, notably in Chulucanas and Trujillo. In 1999, he was elected prior of the Our Mother of Good Counsel Province in Chicago, and later served as the order’s prior general until 2013. Wikipedia
Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator and then bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru in 2014; in 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was created a cardinal on September 30, 2023.
Mission in Peru
In Peru, Prevost was known as a man who would “put on his boots and wade through the mud” to help those most in need—literally doing so when heavy rains and floods struck remote Andean villages.
He delivered food and blankets in a white pickup, slept on makeshift mattresses on the floor, and ate the simple peasant meals offered to him. He freely repaired broken trucks and spearheaded the purchase of two oxygen-generation plants during the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed over 217,000 lives in Peru.
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte called his elevation “a historic moment” for both Peru and the USA and noted that Prevost chose Peruvian citizenship “as an expression of his deep love for Peru.”
During a surge of violence, local guerrilla movements threatened him—even attempting to plant a bomb in his church—yet he remained, forging a deep bond with the faithful and earning the nickname “the shepherd who smells of his sheep.” Reuters
Colleagues recall how, after morning prayers, he would sit with other priests sharing jokes and simple meals, revealing a joyful spirit and humility. Due to his closeness to the poor and constant presence in the field, local media and believers dubbed him “the saint of the North.” AP News
Election as Pope
At the conclave held on May 8, 2025, Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th pope and took the name Leo XIV. In his first address to the faithful, he emphasized synodality, dialogue with other Christian communities, and the Church’s social engagement in tackling climate change, migration, and technological progress.
Conclusion
Pope Francis was a very good man and an excellent pontiff, so Leo XIV will need to strive to match and surpass him. We all hope he will succeed, because judging by his past actions and the path he has followed, his future journey should only improve things.
As a religious in South America, he proved himself by deeds rather than words, demonstrating his character—and his election as pope confirmed it.
As the first American pope and the first Augustinian, Pope Leo XIV symbolizes the reformist tradition of the Second Vatican Council and a bridge between traditional Europe and liberal America. Perhaps he is precisely what the Catholic Church needs now, and the pope who can deliver solutions to the 21st century’s challenges.
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