Although any baptized Catholic man is technically eligible to be the pope, none of the previous 266 popes in history had been from America.
WASHINGTON — The conclave has concluded with the selection of Robert Prevost, a missionary known for his work in Peru and leadership in the Vatican’s influential office of bishops, as the new pope.
A Chicago native and 69-year-old member of the Augustinian order, Prevost has chosen the papal name Leo XIV. He made his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Square, donning the traditional red cape associated with the papacy, a garment Pope Francis opted not to wear when he was elected in 2013.
Has there ever been an American pope?
Prevost’s election marks the first time an American has become pope. While theoretically, any baptized Catholic male can be elected pope, no one from America had been among the previous 266 popes in the church’s history.
Prevost had been a leading candidate except for his nationality. There had long been a taboo against a U.S. pope, given the geopolitical power already wielded by the United States in the secular sphere. But Prevost, a Chicago native, was seemingly eligible also because he’s a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.
Francis clearly had his eye on Prevost and in many ways saw him as his heir apparent. He brought Prevost 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, Prevost had a prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals have.
Ever since arriving in Rome, Prevost has kept a low public profile, but he was well known to the men who count.
Significantly, he presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms Francis made, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope. In early 2025, Francis again showed his esteem by appointing Prevost to the most senior rank of cardinals.
Which U.S. cardinals voted in the conclave?
Including Prevost, there were 10 American cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave to choose Pope Francis’ successor. They include:
