Vatican Media
VATICAN // In a historic moment for the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago was elected as the 267th pope on May 8, 2025, becoming the first American to assume the papacy. Upon his election, he chose the name Leo XIV, a decision with historical resonance.
In his first public appearance from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV established an immediate continuity with his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died on April 21, 2025. Pope Leo in fact chose to remember the final words Pope Francis had spoken to the world during his last Urbi et Orbi benediction on Easter Sunday, just hours before his death
By choosing the name Leo XIV, the new pope invoked the memory of Pope Leo XIII, one of the most influential pontiffs of the modern era. Leo XIII is remembered for several landmark initiatives:
- First social encyclical: In 1891, Leo XIII issued Rerum Novarum, the first major papal social encyclical, addressing the rights and duties of labor and capital, supporting the formation of workers’ unions, and laying the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.
- The Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel: Composed after a vision, this prayer became a staple of Catholic devotion, calling for protection against evil in the midst of spiritual warfare.
- Consecration to Saint Joseph: Leo XIII promoted devotion to St. Joseph, attaching a special prayer to his encyclical Quamquam Pluries and recommending annual observances in Joseph’s honor.