who is the new pope 2025

The new pope, elected on May 8, 2025, is Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the papal name Leo XIV. He is the 267th pope and the first from the United States. Born in Chicago, the 69-year-old Pope Leo XIV spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and held a significant Vatican office responsible for bishop appointments before his election. His election marks a historic moment as the first American pontiff leading the Roman Catholic Church