Following a short, two-day conclave, the first-ever American born pope was elected by a two-thirds majority of 133 Cardinals on Thursday — and he’s from Chicago.
Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, 69, began holding his first Mass as pontiff early Friday in the Sistine Chapel. At the start of the Mass, he addressed cardinals in English, saying “you have called me to carry the cross and to be blessed.”
Thousands of miles away, in Chicago, Holy Name Cathedral in Streeterville will hold a mass at 8 a.m. to pray for the new pope and Chicago-area native, who grew up in the south suburbs.
Pope Leo’s brother, John, still lives in the area, in suburban New Lenox.
“I said, did you watch the movie Conclave, so you know how to behave?”, John told NBC Chicago Thursday. “And he had just finished watching the movie.”
Pope Leo’s connection to Chicago
Pope Leo was born in 1955 in the south side Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville and grew up in suburban Dolton, where he attended Mass and elementary school at St. Mary of the Assumption.
Pope Leo took his first step towards becoming a priest when he left for Augustinian seminary following eighth grade, spending his high school years in Holland, Michigan.
Following his time in high school seminary, Pope Leo enrolled at Villanova University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1977 before joining the Augustinians the same year.
Pope Leo later returned to Chicago and enrolled at Catholic Theological Union, where he received his Master’s of Divinity before going on to receive a doctoral degree in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
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“We are overjoyed that someone who is beloved and known to us is now the beloved leader of the whole entire church,” said Barbara Reid, a Dominican sister and president of the Catholic Theological Union.
The pope then went on to Peru for missionary service beginning in 1985, serving in numerous capacities for over a decade before returning to the United States in 1999 to serve as Provincial of the Augustinian Province in Chicago and then as Prior General of the Augustinians.
Pope Leo then returned to Peru in 2015, serving as the Bishop of Chiclayo until being named Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.
On social media, people swapped memes about Chicago staples — deep-dish and tavern-style pizza, the Chicago liqueur Malört and baseball, reflecting the civic pride of Chicago residents as they claimed the pope as one of their own.
What is an Augustinian?
Pope Leo is a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order.
He was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, which was formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars — dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization. There have been six previous Augustinian popes.
“Augustinians are members of the Order of Saint Augustine, an international Catholic religious community of men and women,” Augustinian Vocations of North America.
The requirements and ethos of the order are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.
The Order of St. Augustine has a presence in about 50 countries, according to its website. Its ethos includes a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others. A core value in their rule is to “live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.”
From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said that while he was an Augustinian priest, he was a Christian above all, and a bishop, “so we can all walk together.”
His connection to Pope Francis
Leo is the first American to ever be elected Pope, and will take over a church that changed dramatically during the tenure of Pope Francis, who died earlier this year.
Francis clearly had his eye on Leo and in many ways saw him as his heir apparent. He brought Leo to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. As a result, Leo had a prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals have.
In his first words as Pope Francis’ successor, uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization. He wore the traditional red cape of the papacy — a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013.
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