If you walk into St. Peter’s Square today, the name you’ll hear isn’t Francis anymore. It’s Leo.
A lot of people are still catching up with the fact that the Vatican underwent a massive shift recently. After the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the world watched the chimney of the Sistine Chapel for that telltale white smoke. It came surprisingly fast. On May 8, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost emerged on the balcony.
He took the name Pope Leo XIV.
Honestly, it’s a lot to take in if you haven't been glued to the news. We went from a Jesuit from Argentina to an Augustinian born in Chicago. He’s the first-ever Pope from the United States, though he spent decades in Peru and holds dual citizenship there. It’s a wild mix of "homegrown" American roots and deep, "boots-on-the-ground" experience in the Global South.
Who is the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church Right Now?
So, who is this guy? Robert Prevost—now Pope Leo XIV—isn't your typical Vatican bureaucrat, even though he ran the Dicastery for Bishops before his election. Born in 1955, he’s basically a bridge-builder. He speaks fluent Spanish with a Peruvian lilt and English with a Chicago soul.
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He didn't choose the name Leo by accident.
He’s looking back to Pope Leo XIII, the man who basically invented modern Catholic social teaching during the Industrial Revolution. Our current Leo thinks we’re in a "new industrial revolution" with AI and global shifts, and he wants the Church to have a say in how that affects regular workers. It’s pretty ambitious.
The Chicago Connection and the Peruvian Heart
You’ve got to understand where he comes from to see where he’s going.
- Early Days: Raised in Dolton, Illinois. He’s a Midwesterner through and through.
- Missionary Work: He didn't just visit Peru; he lived there for over 20 years. He worked in the trenches of the northern missions.
- The Big Job: Before becoming Pope, he was the guy in charge of choosing bishops for the whole world. That's a lot of power.
Leo XIV is 70 years old. In "Pope years," that’s actually kind of young. He’s got the energy for the long haul, which is probably why the Cardinals picked him. They wanted stability after the whirlwind years of Francis.
How the Papacy is Changing in 2026
We are currently in the middle of a very busy 2026. Leo XIV just closed out the 2025 Holy Year (the Jubilee of Hope) that Francis started. It was a bit of a hand-off situation. Now, he’s finally starting to put his own stamp on things.
He’s not Francis 2.0.
While he shares the late Pope's love for the poor, Leo is a canon lawyer. He likes things orderly. He’s brought back some of the traditional touches—like the red mozzetta (that short shoulder cape)—that Francis famously ditched. It’s a "middle path" strategy. He’s trying to keep the progressives happy by talking about climate change while soothing the traditionalists with a bit more ceremony and respect for the rules.
What’s on the Agenda?
Right now, the Vatican is buzzing about a few specific things Leo is pushing.
- Vatican II Rediscovery: He’s obsessed with the documents from the 1960s. He thinks we’ve been arguing about the "spirit" of the council for too long and needs us to actually read the texts.
- Diplomacy: He just gave a big "State of the World" speech to ambassadors. He’s pushing hard for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine, using a very "Augustinian" style of logic—basically saying you can't have peace without justice.
- The Franciscan Jubilee: No, not the 2025 one. He just declared 2026 a special year to honor the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.
The Politics of an American Pope
It’s kind of funny. For centuries, people said an American could never be Pope. The U.S. was seen as too much of a superpower. People worried the Church would just become an arm of American foreign policy.
But Prevost’s time in Peru changed that narrative.
He isn't seen as "the American candidate." He’s seen as a guy who understands how the wealthy West and the struggling South can actually talk to each other. He’s been critical of nationalism and has pushed for better treatment of migrants, which hasn't always made him popular with every political faction back in the States.
He’s his own man.
Does it Change Anything for You?
Unless you’re Catholic, maybe not much on a daily basis. But the Pope is still the only person on earth who can command the attention of 1.4 billion people with a single letter (called an encyclical). When Leo XIV talks about the ethics of Artificial Intelligence or the debt of poor nations, people in high places listen.
Actionable Steps for Staying Updated
The Vatican moves slowly, but Leo XIV is moving faster than most expected. If you want to keep tabs on what the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is actually doing, don't just rely on secondary headlines.
Follow the official channels. The Vatican Press Office and Vatican News are the places to see his daily homilies and major decrees. Read the actual documents. If a headline says "Pope says X," go find the text on the Holy See website. Often, the nuance is lost in the 24-hour news cycle. Check the travel schedule. Leo has hinted at visiting Algeria, Argentina, and Mexico later this year. Those trips usually signal his biggest policy shifts.
The transition from Francis to Leo XIV marks the end of an era and the start of a very different, perhaps more legally-minded, chapter for the Church. Whether he can bridge the massive gaps between the polarized wings of his followers remains the biggest question of 2026.