The world stood still Thursday evening to welcome the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church, Robert Prevost who adopted the name Leo XIV.
Here are five things to know about Pope Leo, the first American Pope who is replacing Pope Francis whose death was announced last month:
1. Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1955, where he served as an altar boy in his youth.
2. The new Catholic Church leader is considered more of a centrist than his liberal-leaning predecessor, Pope Francis.
3. He attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics.
4. The Pope joined the Order of St Augustine in 1977 and was ordained as a priest in 1982.
5. Leo XIV served as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, from 2014 to 2023, and he has spent much of his career in Peru, where he holds citizenship and acted as a missionary and priest.
