The Roman Catholic Church welcomed a new pope on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Robert Francis Prevost is now Pope Leo XIV, the 267th “Bishop of Rome.”
Prevost was a longshot to be selected as pope. Some experts suggest more than a dozen other candidates had better chances than he, making him an unexpected selection.
His rise from cardinal to pope is the quickest in over a century. Pope Francis appointed him as a cardinal on September 30, 2023. Now, in less than two years, Prevost has been elected pontiff. In recent memory only Pope Pius XI moved to papacy even more swiftly, becoming a cardinal in June 1921, and eight months later, in February 1922, he was the Supreme Pontiff.
Several “firsts” accompany Prevost’s selection. Born in Chicago and an alumnus of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, Pope Leo XIV is the first pope from the U.S., although Peru, where he served in missions for many years, also claims him. The 69-year-old is also the first Augustinian pope, a Catholic order of friars that identifies with Saint Augustine. In the Order of St. Augustine, its priests and brothers take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Pope Leo XIV is viewed as middle of the road on many current issues, which some experts suggest played a large role in his selection as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, noted for growing increasingly divided under Pope Francis’ liberal leadership.
Pope Leo was elected on the second day of the cardinal conclave, and as he stood on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, he encouraged the cheering and chanting throng gathered there, and others around the world, to work for peace, justice and building bridges.
We will continue to keep an eye on how Pope Leo XIV leads the Roman Catholic Church and the biblical implications of his important decisions and statements.
In God’s providence, the latest issue of the Prophecy in the News magazine touches on many key issues about the Catholic Church. Preview and order issue #29 here.
Don’t miss the most recent Moment of Prophecy episode: Is the Pope the Vicar of Christ? Watch here.
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