St. Andrew Catholic Church

Actor Kelsey Grammer speaks during a memorial for actor James Earl Jones at The James Earl Jones Theater on April 7, 2025, in New York City. / Credit: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

CNA Staff, May 9, 2025 / 09:42 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:

Frasier actor says aborting son ‘The greatest pain I have ever known’ 

Kelsey Grammer, an actor and producer known for his role in the television series “Cheers” and “Frasier,” opened up in his recent memoir about how abortion affected him. 

In his memoir “Karen: A Brother Remembers,” Grammer, 70, revealed that the abortions that his former partners had still haunt him.

“I know that many people do not have a problem with abortion, and though I have supported it in the past, the abortion of my son eats away at my soul,” Grammer wrote.

In 1974, Grammer’s girlfriend became pregnant and wanted an abortion. Grammer shared that though he was “willing” to keep the child, he “did not plead with her to save his life.”

Grammer said that he still supports “the idea that a woman has the right to do what she wants with her own body.”

“But it’s hard for me,” he said. 

Grammer also shared that when he and his fourth wife, Kayte, were expecting twins, one of the twins’ sacks ruptured. The doctors recommended abortion, saying that otherwise, the other twin would be in danger. 

Grammer and his then-wife decided to abort the male twin in order to save the female twin, a decision that he said was “the greatest pain I have ever known.”

The male twin died, but the daughter, Faith, is now 12 years old. 

“We killed our son so Faith might live,” Grammer wrote. “We wept as we watched his heart stop.” 

“Kayte’s scream was enough to make a man mourn a lifetime,” he continued.

Grammer said he didn’t want to bring “controversy,” but he criticized the “so-called doctors who have executed generations of children in this manner.”

“I have no idea how they call themselves doctors,” he continued. “Something about the ‘first, do no harm’ thing. But I offer no controversy.” 

Indiana governor signs prenatal development bill 

On May 6, Indiana’s governor signed a bill requiring schools that offer sexual education to include instruction on consent and human growth and development during pregnancy.

For prenatal education, the bill specifically requires that students view several videos depicting human prenatal development. Students will watch both a high-definition ultrasound video showing the development of the brain, heart, and other vital organs in early fetal development as well as a rendering or animation showing the process of fertilization and fetal development within the uterus.  

The bill also requires written informed-consent forms for parents of students in the sex education classes.

Other states that require education on fetal development include Idaho, North Dakota, and Tennessee.

Judge denies Indiana request for abortion records 

An Indianapolis judge recently denied the state attorney general’s request to publicly release state-mandated abortion data reports.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita appealed the judge’s previous determination that the records were confidential. In the 20-page order, the judge maintained that current state law exempts abortion data from release under the state’s Access to Public Records Act.

South Bend pro-life group Voices for Life requested copies of “terminated pregnancy reports” (TPRs), public records that contain details about abortion procedures in the state. Voices for Life reviews the reports every month for violations against Indiana’s code.

But in March, Marion County Superior Court Judge James Joven issued a preliminary injunction, saying that the Indiana Department of Health could not provide the reports filed since August 2023, when many of Indiana’s protections for unborn children went into effect. The state health department changed its policy following increased restrictions against abortion.

Montana governor signs bill protecting families from religious discrimination in adoption

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill last week designed to protect families and faith-based adoption and foster care groups from religious discrimination. 

The bill prohibits discrimination during the adoption process based on families’ religious beliefs. Greg Chafuen, senior counsel at the legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, applauded the law, saying that in some states “the government can discriminate against people of faith, allowing vulnerable children to suffer.”

“Every child deserves a loving home that can provide them stability and opportunities to grow,” Chafuen said in a statement May 2. 

“By signing this law, Gov. Gianforte is ensuring that Montanan children benefit from as many adoption and foster care agencies as possible — faith-based and non-faith-based,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV gives the homily at Mass with the cardinale electors in the Sistine Chapel on May 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 08:57 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV delivered this homily at his first Mass as pope in the Sistine Chapel on May 9, the morning after being elected the 266th successor of St. Peter, addressing the cardinal electors who had chosen him.

I will begin with a word in English, and the rest is in Italian. But I want to repeat the words from the responsorial Psalm: “I will sing a new song to the Lord, because he has done marvels.”

And indeed, not just with me but with all of us. My brother cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the ministry of Peter.

You have called me to carry that cross, and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me, as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel.

[Continuing in Italian] “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). In these words, Peter, asked by the Master, together with the other disciples, about his faith in him, expressed the patrimony that the Church, through the apostolic succession, has preserved, deepened, and handed on for 2,000 years.

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God: the one Savior who alone reveals the face of the Father.

In him, God, in order to make himself close and accessible to men and women, revealed himself to us in the trusting eyes of a child, in the lively mind of a young person, and in the mature features of a man (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22), finally appearing to his disciples after the Resurrection with his glorious body. He thus showed us a model of human holiness that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that transcends all our limits and abilities.

Peter, in his response, understands both of these things: the gift of God and the path to follow in order to allow himself to be changed by that gift. They are two inseparable aspects of salvation entrusted to the Church to be proclaimed for the good of the human race. Indeed, they are entrusted to us, who were chosen by him before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs (cf. Jer 1:5), reborn in the waters of Baptism and, surpassing our limitations and with no merit of our own, brought here and sent forth from here, so that the Gospel might be proclaimed to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15).

In a particular way, God has called me by your election to succeed the Prince of the Apostles, and has entrusted this treasure to me so that, with his help, I may be its faithful administrator (cf. 1 Cor 4:2) for the sake of the entire mystical Body of the Church. He has done so in order that she may be ever more fully a city set on a hill (cf. Rev 21:10), an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world. And this, not so much through the magnificence of her structures or the grandeur of her buildings – like the monuments among which we find ourselves – but rather through the holiness of her members. For we are the people whom God has chosen as his own, so that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (cf. 1 Pet 2:9).

Peter, however, makes his profession of faith in reply to a specific question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). The question is not insignificant. It concerns an essential aspect of our ministry, namely, the world in which we live, with its limitations and its potential, its questions and its convictions.

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” If we reflect on the scene we are considering, we might find two possible answers, which characterize two different attitudes. 

First, there is the world’s response. Matthew tells us that this conversation between Jesus and his disciples takes place in the beautiful town of Caesarea Philippi, filled with luxurious palaces, set in a magnificent natural landscape at the foot of Mount Hermon, but also a place of cruel power plays and the scene of betrayals and infidelity. This setting speaks to us of a world that considers Jesus a completely insignificant person, at best someone with an unusual and striking way of speaking and acting. And so, once his presence becomes irksome because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements, this “world” will not hesitate to reject and eliminate him.

Then there is the other possible response to Jesus’ question: that of ordinary people. For them, the Nazarene is not a charlatan, but an upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things, like other great prophets in the history of Israel. That is why they follow him, at least for as long as they can do so without too much risk or inconvenience. Yet to them he is only a man, and therefore, in times of danger, during his passion, they too abandon him and depart disappointed.

What is striking about these two attitudes is their relevance today. They embody notions that we could easily find on the lips of many men and women in our own time, even if, while essentially identical, they are expressed in different language.

Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.

These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.

Today, too, there are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman. This is true not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism.

This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the Savior. Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).

It is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion. Then, to do so as a Church, experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the Good News to all (cf. Lumen Gentium, 1).

I say this first of all to myself, as the Successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as Bishop of Rome and, according to the well-known expression of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, am called to preside in charity over the universal Church (cf. Letter to the Romans, Prologue). Saint Ignatius, who was led in chains to this city, the place of his impending sacrifice, wrote to the Christians there: “Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world no longer sees my body” (Letter to the Romans, IV, 1). Ignatius was speaking about being devoured by wild beasts in the arena – and so it happened – but his words apply more generally to an indispensable commitment for all those in the Church who exercise a ministry of authority. It is to move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified (cf. Jn 3:30), to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him.

May God grant me this grace, today and always, through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.

Pope Leo XIV is seen flanked by cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after his election, Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 08:40 am (CNA).

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Follow here for news and information about the 266th successor to St. Peter:

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful in St. Peter’s Square shortly after his election to the papacy, Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Staff, May 9, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On May 8, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV by the College of Cardinals as the 266th successor of St. Peter, making him the 267th pope and the first from the United States.  

Here are 14 things to know about Pope Leo XIV:

1. Robert Francis Prevost was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph. 

2. His father was a World War II Navy veteran and school superintendent; his mother was a librarian who was very involved in parish life.

3. The new pope speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese.

4. He earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977 before pursuing his religious vocation.

5. He completed his secondary studies at the minor seminary of the Augustinians in 1973 in Michigan. In 1977, he became a member of the Order of St. Augustine and took his solemn vows in 1981. 

6. He completed a master of divinity degree at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and earned a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He went on to teach canon law in seminaries during his time in Peru.  

7. He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, by Archbishop Jean Jadot in Rome.

8. He served extensively in Peru from 1985 to 1998, working as a parish pastor, seminary teacher, and diocesan official. He was also part of the leadership of Caritas Peru, the Church’s charitable organization.

9. After being elected the head of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, he returned to the U.S. in 1999. He was elected prior general of the Augustinians in 2001 and then reelected in 2007, serving as head of the order until 2013.

10. Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator and then bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014 and 2015 respectively, and received episcopal consecration on Dec. 12, 2014, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Chiclayo.

11. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis on Sept. 30, 2023. 

12. While serving the Church in Peru, Francis made him a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2019 and then a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. In 2023, Francis made him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. 

13. His episcopal motto — which is a bishop’s personal motto — is “In illo uno unum,” which means “In the one Christ we are one,” reflecting his commitment to unity.

14. Prior to becoming pope, he had an active X account — the first to have his own social media account before becoming pope.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square shortly after his election on Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, May 9, 2025 / 04:57 am (CNA).

Just hours after being elected the Catholic Church’s 267th pontiff, Pope Leo XIV has three appointments on his agenda: a Mass with cardinals, praying the Regina Caeli, and greeting journalists and media who covered the conclave.

According to Vatican News, Leo XIV will celebrate a Mass at 11 a.m. Rome time with the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.

Then he will lead his first Regina Caeli, a Marian prayer recited especially during the Easter season, at Roman noon on Sunday.

Rather than leading the prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace, as popes have customarily done on Sundays for the Angelus or Regina Caeli, he is scheduled to appear again at the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, as he did after the “habemus papam” announcement on May 8.

On the following morning, the new pope will greet the journalists and media professionals who have been in Rome to cover the funeral of Pope Francis, the “sede vacante,” and the conclave.

After his election on May 8, the 69-year-old pope returned to the building where he has been living in Rome, the Palazzo Sant’Uffizio, a Vatican building housing the offices of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the apartments of some Vatican officials.

Photos shared on X by Xaviere Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, show Leo XIV greeting Becquart and taking a “selfie” with her and others during his surprise visit to the Palazzo Sant’Uffizio after he was announced as pope.

Michael Warsaw, CEO of EWTN. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2025 / 17:26 pm (CNA).

EWTN Chairman and CEO Michael Warsaw reacted with joy to the election of the first American pontiff.

“It is with great joy that I welcome the election of Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV,” Warsaw said in a statement. “The election of a new pope is always a historic moment in the life of the Church, but the election of the first American-born pope is particularly momentous.”

Reflecting on the new pope’s trajectory, Warsaw noted that “the new Holy Father carries with him enormous experience as a missionary priest and bishop, which no doubt will help to shape his ministry as the 266th successor of St. Peter.”

Warsaw, who under Pope Francis served as a consultor with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, added that “on behalf of the global EWTN family, I want to assure Pope Leo of our prayers as he begins his service to the universal Church.” 

The 69-year-old new pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected the first pope from the United States on Thursday. A native of Chicago, Leo spoke in Italian and Spanish from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, addressing the tens of thousands of people gathered below. His first words to the faithful were “Peace be with you all.”

The identity of the new pope was announced just over an hour after white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The cardinal electors watched from balconies flanking the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica as Cardinal Dominique Mamberti declared in Latin: “Habemus papam!”

EWTN is the largest Catholic media organization in the world, with 11 global TV channels and numerous regional channels that are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 435 million television households in more than 160 countries and territories. 

EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 600 domestic and international AM and FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the most visited Catholic websites in the U.S.; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., EWTN News operates multiple global news services, including Catholic News Agency; The National Catholic Register newspaper and digital platform; ACI Prensa in Spanish; ACI Digital in Portuguese; ACI Stampa in Italian; ACI Africa in English, French, and Portuguese; ACI MENA in Arabic; CNA Deutsch in German; and ChurchPop, a digital platform that creates content in several languages. It also produces numerous television news programs including “EWTN News Nightly,” “EWTN News In Depth,” “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly,” and “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” among others.

“What a great honor for our country,” President Trump said of the election of the Catholic Church’s new Chicago-born pope on May 8, 2025. / Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2025 / 16:32 pm (CNA).

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, along with former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and scores of other elected officials throughout the country expressed joy and excitement over the selection of the first American pope, who is from Chicago.

Pope Leo XIV — formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost — was selected by the College of Cardinals in Rome Thursday on the second day of the papal conclave to serve as the immediate successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

He is the first pope from the United States and from North America. Francis was the first pope from South America.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named pope,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope,” Trump added. “What excitement, and what a great honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

Vice President JD Vance, who is a convert to Catholicism, also congratulated the new pontiff in a post on X. 

“I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church,” the vice president said. “May God bless him!”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is Catholic, also shared congratulatory remarks: “May God grant him wisdom, courage, and grace as he carries out his sacred ministry.”

Former President Joe Biden, who was the second Catholic president to serve in the White House, also celebrated the news in a post on X in a joint statement with his wife.

“Habemus papam — May God bless Pope Leo XIV of Illinois,” the former president said. “Jill and I congratulate him and wish him success.”

Chicago officials beam with hometown pride

Former president Barack Obama, who spent much of his adult life living in Chicago, issued a statement with his wife, Michelle, congratulating “a fellow Chicagoan, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.” 

“This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith,” Obama said.

Pritzker, who has served as the Illinois governor since 2019, referred to “the first American leading the Catholic Church” as a “historic moment” in a post on X.

“Hailing from Chicago, Pope Leo XIV ushers in a new chapter that I join those in our state welcoming in at a time when we need compassion, unity, and peace,” the governor said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed joy over the news in a post on X and has already encouraged a papal visit back to his hometown.

“Everything dope, including the pope, comes from Chicago!” the mayor said. “Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! We hope to welcome you back home soon.”

In his first address, Pope Leo XIV urged people to build bridges through dialogue and encounter to work toward unity and peace.

The Holy Father expressed his desire to “walk together … as a united Church, always searching for peace, justice, and trying to always work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.”

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square shortly after his election on Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, May 8, 2025 / 16:12 pm (CNA).

U.S. bishops on Thursday hailed the election of former Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and the first pope born in the United States of America.

Cardinals elected the newly-titled Leo to the supreme pontificate on Thursday afternoon, with white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel signaling the closing of the conclave with the selection of the new pope.

Leo appeared before hundreds of thousands of faithful and spectators in St. Peter’s Square shortly thereafter, addressing the universal Church and the world for the first time as pope.

“God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail,” the pope said. “We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward.”

U.S. bishops react

In an immediate reaction, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Thursday afternoon shared a photo of the newly elected Holy Father on X. “Our Holy Father, Leo XIV,” the bishops said in the post.

Other bishops took to social media to share their joy over the election. “Omnes Cum Petro ad Jesum per Mariam!” Lansing, Michigan, Bishop Earl Boyea wrote, meaning: “All with Peter to Jesus through Mary!”

Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Monforton wrote on X: “God bless our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV as he shares the joy of the Gospel with all the world. Together, let us fervently pray for Pope Leo XIV and his papal office.”

Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop-elect Shawn McKnight wrote that the Church “welcome[s] our Holy Father” with “great thanksgiving.”

“Let the Church find hope in this moment and let us pray together as one people of God, entrusting our new Holy Father to the guidance of the Holy Spirit," the prelate said. “I pledge my loyalty and love to Pope Leo XIV as he takes up the mantle of St. Peter during this challenging time. May God bless him as he serves the Church and our entire world.”

Arlington, Virginia, Bishop Michael Burbidge encouraged the faithful to “offer prayers, sacrifices, and works of charity for Pope Leo XIV and his intentions.”

“United in prayer for Pope Leo XIV, may we ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen him daily with divine grace in order that he may bring the light of faith and the unchanging and life-giving word of God to the challenges of our times,” Burbidge said.

Brooklyn, New York, Bishop Robert Brennan said the Church welcomes the new pope “warmly, with great love.”

“God has given us a new shepherd,” he said. “Let’s pray for him with all our hearts.”

Gary, Indiana, Bishop Robert McClory urged the faithful in a video address to “keep [the new pope] in our prayers ... thank God for the gift that he’ll be for the Church, and take some time to celebrate tonight.”

“And make sure you offer an Our Father, a Hail Mary, [and] a Glory Be for our new Pope Leo,” he said. “What a great joy to all the Church. ... Habemus papam!”

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. / Credit: Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, May 8, 2025 / 15:52 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, May 8 — the first pope from the United States. 

Smiling and waving while wearing more traditional papal garb than his predecessor — and appearing to hold back tears at certain points — Leo blessed the cheering masses assembled in St. Peter’s Square, proclaiming in confident Italian: “Peace be with you all!”

An Augustinian and a canon lawyer, Prevost spent over a decade ministering in South America before being called back to the U.S. to head the Midwest Augustinians and was later elected prior general of the Augustinian order, serving in that role for a dozen years. He later returned to South America after Pope Francis in 2014 appointed him bishop in Chiclayo, Peru. Francis later called him to Rome in 2023 to head the highly influential Dicastery for Bishops. 

Prevost, 69, was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago. He is of Italian, French, and Spanish descent. He studied at an Augustinian minor seminary in Michigan and later earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. 

He officially entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1978, making his solemn vows in 1981. He was ordained to the priesthood in June 1982 after studying theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. 

After being ordained, he earned a doctorate in canon law from Rome’s Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas (also known as the Angelicum) in 1987. 

Prevost returned to Chicago for a short time in 1987, serving as pastor for vocations and director of missions for the Midwest Augustinians (Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel). He was then sent to Peru, where he served the Augustinians in various capacities including as a regional ecclesiastical judge and teacher of canon law in the diocesan seminary for Trujillo, Peru, for 10 years.

After being elected the head of the Midwest Augustinians, Prevost returned to the U.S. in 1999. He was elected prior general of the Augustinians in 2001 and then reelected in 2007, serving as head of the order until 2013.

Pope Francis appointed Prevost as apostolic administrator of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014, and he was ordained titular bishop of Sufar that same year.

While serving the Church in Peru, Francis made Prevost a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2019 and then a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. In 2023, Francis made Prevost prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. In that capacity, Prevost played a key role in the selection process for diocesan bishops around the world and in the investigation of allegations against bishops.

In 2023, Prevost spoke to Vatican News about what he considered to be the “portrait of a bishop.”

“We are often preoccupied with teaching doctrine, the way of living our faith, but we risk forgetting that our first task is to teach what it means to know Jesus Christ and to bear witness to our closeness to the Lord,” he told Vatican News.

“This comes first: to communicate the beauty of the faith, the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus,” he added. “It means that we ourselves are living it and sharing this experience.”

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in a Sept. 30, 2023, consistory.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims in St. Pete’s Square shortly after his election on Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 15:32 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV greeted the world for the first time on Thursday with the words “Peace be with you all.”

The 69-year-old new pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected the first pope from the United States on Thursday. A native of Chicago, Leo spoke in Italian from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, addressing the hundreds of thousands of people waiting in the square and streets below.

“Peace be with you all. Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who has given his life for God’s flock. I too would like that this greeting of peace enters into your heart, reaching your families, and all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to all the earth. Peace be with you,” Leo said in his opening lines.

The identity of the new pope was announced just over an hour after white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The cardinal electors watched from balconies flanking the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica as Cardinal Dominique Mamberti declared in Latin: “Habemus papam!”

Minutes later, Pope Leo XIV appeared to enormous cheers from the excited crowd.

The peace of the risen Christ, he said, is a “disarming, humble, and persevering peace” that comes from God — a God who “loves us all unconditionally.”

He recalled his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who blessed Rome on Easter Sunday just hours before his death. “Allow me,” Leo said, “to follow that same blessing.”

“God loves us, God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Therefore, without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us go forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him like a bridge to be reached by God and his love,” Leo said.

The pope asked those present to help the Church to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, working for unity and peace. He thanked Pope Francis and the cardinals who chose him to be the successor of St. Peter, history’s first pope.

The pope added that he wants to “walk together … as a united Church, always searching for peace, justice, and trying to always work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.”

Pointing out that he is a member of the Augustinian religious order, Leo paraphrased the words of his founder, St. Augustine, who once said in a sermon: “With you I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop.”

In a special greeting to the Catholic Church of Rome, of which he is bishop, Leo said: “We must learn together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive, like this square with its ‘arms’ open to all, everyone who sees our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.”

Breaking off from Italian into Spanish, the pope greeted the people of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where he was bishop from 2015 until Pope Francis brought him to the Vatican as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.

Speaking again in Italian, the pope said the faithful want “a synodal Church, one that looks always for peace, for charity, and to be close to those who suffer.”

Recalling the day’s feast day of Our Lady of Pompei, Pope Leo invited those present to pray a Hail Mary with him “for this new mission, but for the whole Church, for peace in the world.”

After the prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the new pope then bestowed his first apostolic blessing, “urbi et orbi,” on the city and the world.