The First American Pontiff: Pope Leo XIV

The College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Robert Prevost from Chicago, IL as the new pope.

Pope Leo XIV.

The first American pope.

My main question: Is he a Cubs or White Sox fan?

Some history of Prevost:

Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost holds degrees from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.In 1985, Prevost joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985, becoming part of the religious order inspired by St. Augustine that seeks to find a balance of “love and learning.” Augustinian friars lead semi-monastic lives and are engaged in a range of pursuits, such as education or prison work.At age 30, Prevost went to work in Peru, serving there until 1999, with a brief stint back in Chicago in 1987 to work as pastor for vocations and director of missions for its Augustinian province.During his early years in Peru, Prevost wore a number of hats, including teaching in the diocesan seminary, serving as judge in a church court and leading a parish on the outskirts of the city of Trujillo.In 1999, Prevost was elected the head of the Augustinians’ Chicago-based province. And then in 2001, he tapped as prior general of the worldwide order, which he led until 2013. During that time, he was based in Rome but spent most of his time on the road and in the air, visiting the nearly 50 countries where the Augustinian order is present.In 2014, Francis sent him back into the mission field, naming him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru, where he served until the pope called him to Rome again for full-time service in the Roman Curia in 2023.

Tags: Catholic, Chicago, Illinois, Italy

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