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New pope, Robert Francis Prevost, has promised to build bridges and encourage dialogue in the Catholic Church as the world faces uncertainties due to wars, tariffs and terrorism.
The 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide at last got a new pope after cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost on Thursday on the balcony above St Peter’s Square.
This has ushered in a new era for the church as Prevost becomes the first American to fill the position led by late Pope Francis.
“We have to seek together to be a missionary church. A church that builds bridges and dialogue,” he said on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday.
He urged the world to show charity to others “and be in dialogue with love.”
In his first words as pope, Leo XIV said to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, “Peace be with you all.”
“This is the first greetings of the resurrected Christ, the good shepherd who has given up his life for God,” he said, according to a CNN report.
“And I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts and our families.”
Ten facts about Pope Leo XIV
First, Robert Francis Prevost is the first American to be elected pope.
Secondly, the new pope has served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since 2023.
Thirdly, he was born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, and was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982.
Fourthly, in 1998, Prevost was elected provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago and returned to the United States to assume that position on March 8, 1999.
Fifthly, in 2001, Prevost was elected to a six-year term as Prior General of the Augustinians. Between 2013 and 2014, he was the director of formation in the Convent of St. Augustine in Chicago and provincial vicar of the province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.
More so, he was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo and titular bishop of Sufar in November, 2014.
Furthermore, he was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops with the title archbishop-bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in January, 2023.
At the September 30 consistory, he was honoured as the cardinal-deacon of Santa Monica degli Agostiniani Church in Rome by late Pope Francis.
Eighth, Prevost was further elevated to cardinal-bishop on February 6, 2025, and his place of assignment was the Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano in the Province of Rome.
Also, Pope Francis elevated him as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key position within the Roman Curia.
He was to be part of those evaluating and recommending candidates for the episcopate around the globe.
Lastly, he is not free from criticisms. He was criticised for the way he handled issues around rape and gender.
Read also: Eight facts about new pope, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost
How he emerged
The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church elected Robert Francis Prevost as their 267th pontiff on Thursday, ending a two-day conclave in Rome with the election of the first pope from the United States.
Leo XVII, Cardinal Robert Prevost, is an Augustinian who lived in Peru as a bishop.
A puff of white smoke from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel signalled that the cardinals sequestered inside for two days had elected a new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.
The new pope will confront difficult decisions about the church’s direction, chiefly whether to continue the agenda of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who championed greater inclusion and openness to change until his death last month, or forge a different path.
The cardinals reached their decision after being in conclave for a little more than 24 hours, and after several rounds of voting. The group of 133 cardinals, the most ever to gather in a conclave, included many who were appointed by Francis and some who did not know one another. That had made reaching a quick consensus a serious challenge, given the broad group of contenders and the splits among them about the future of the church.
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