Well, holy smokes—literally. A puff of white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday evening Roman time, signaling that the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics officially have a new pope. And in a historic first, the keys to the kingdom are now in the hands of a Chicago-born priest.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, was elected the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV. His election makes him the first American pontiff ever—an outcome Vatican watchers long considered a geopolitical longshot. But while Leo XIV’s passport once read “U.S.A.,” his résumé stretches far beyond the Windy City.
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Prevost joined the Order of St. Augustine and was ordained in 1982. After earning a doctorate in canon law in Rome, he moved to Peru for what became a two-decade-long ministry, serving as bishop, teacher and advocate for migrants. Along the way, he became a naturalized Peruvian citizen, a key credential that helped soften the Church’s historic aversion to a U.S. pope.
Still, there’s plenty of Chi-Town grit under that papal miter. Prevost’s approach is famously pastoral—he once said a bishop shouldn't be a “little prince” but should walk with his people, suffer with them and meet them where they are. He may not have the same populist flair as Francis (don’t expect baby-kissing on parade!), but Leo XIV is seen as a steady hand with international bona fides.
In 2023, Pope Francis tapped him to lead the Vatican’s powerful bishops’ office—essentially the HR department for the global church. That role and his Francis-like focus on humility and inclusion made him a top contender going into the conclave, despite the usual American handicap.
Now, as Leo XIV steps onto the global stage, all eyes are on whether he’ll continue the reformist streak of his predecessor or chart a more conservative course. Either way, Chicago just got a hometown hero in the holiest of high places.