This Thursday, May 8, 2025, the hearts of Catholics were filled with joy at the election of the new Pope, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
Our new Pope was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois – the day currently celebrated as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Prevost entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained a priest five years later.
He has a noteworthy doctrinal background, having obtained a doctorate from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas and trained seminarians in theology and pastoral administration.
He was appointed Cardinal on September 30, 2023.
The name he adopted, Leo XIV, refers to the previous pontiffs with this name: from St. Leo the Great to Leo XIII, the latter known for his doctrinal and social commitment at the end of the 19th century.
May the Paraclete Spirit, at the intercession of Mary Most Holy, guide and inspire the new Pope, Pastor of the Universal Church, for the good and victory of the Mystical Bride of Christ!