by Andrew Koslosky KGCHS, Contributing Writer
The Catholic Church has a new leader, with the Augustinian Cardinal Robert Prevost elected as Pope Leo XIV. He is the first North American Pope and, according to a prominent genealogist, a Pope with African-Creole ancestry. On May 8, he was elected by the College of Cardinals as the 266th successor of St. Peter, making him the 267th Pope and the first born from the United States. Today we will take a look at the life of Pope Leo XIV and his journey to the seat of St. Peter.
The new Bishop of Rome was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.
It might interest you to know that according to the U.S. Census, the Pope’s mother, the late Mildred Martinez, was the mixed-race daughter of Black property owners, the Haitian-born Joseph Martinez, a cigar maker, and New Orleans native Louise Baquié, a Creole. A genealogist at the Historic New Orleans Collection, Jari Honora, is credited with the finding of ancestral records turning up Pope Leo’s deep local roots.
Honora’s review of census and marriage records showed that the new Pope’s grandparents, Joseph and Louise Martinez. were married in 1887 on Annette Street. In 1900, they owned and lived in a home on North Prieur, a few blocks away in the city’s historically Creole Seventh Ward. Sometime between 1910 and 1912, they moved to Chicago, Illinois where Pope Leo’s mother, Mildred, was born.
After his election and seeing Honora’s post, the Archdiocese of New Orleans began combing through the records at its Uptown headquarters. By Friday morning, Katie Beeman, the archdiocese archivist, had uncovered original documents showing the Pope’s great-grandmother, Eugenie Grambois, Louise’s mother, was baptized in 1840 at the St. Louis Cathedral. Another document shows Grambois married Ferdinand D. Baquié, the Pope’s great-grandfather, in 1864 at St. Mary’s Church in the French Quarter. So, there is quite a history here with our new Pope and the Diocese of New Orleans.
Robert Prevost spent his childhood with his family in Chicago. His studies would eventually lead him to the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers and then at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where in 1977 he earned a Degree in Mathematics while also studying Philosophy.
After he graduated from Villanova, Prevost joined the Order of St. Augustine. He would go on to be ordained a priest in 1982 and then was sent to an Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985. Both of his brothers are on record saying they knew at an early age that young Robert had a special calling.
Most recently, while they knew of his calling, they never dreamed it would lead to him becoming a Pope. He continued his work as a missionary while gaining his Peruvian citizenship.
In October of 2013, he returned to his Augustinian Province in Chicago, serving as director of formation at the Saint Augustine Convent, first councilor, and provincial vicar. He held these roles until Pope Francis appointed him, on November 3, 2014, Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru.
On September 26, 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo. He served there until Pope Francis brought him to Rome in January of 2023 to be the head of the office that vets bishop nominations, a very key role in the church. It was a move that showed the confidence and trust Pope Francis had in Prevost.
On September 30, 2023, Pope Francis confirmed his judgement by making him a Cardinal.
During the pre-conclave talk, Cardinal Prevost’s name was not mentioned much as a papal front-runner. Indeed, most Vatican insiders had identified Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin as a favorite, with Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa as close runners up. But confirming the old Italian saying that “he who enters the conclave a Pope leaves as a cardinal,” those strong candidates were unable to win over the necessary two-thirds majority, leaving the field clear for a dark horse candidate. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the door was opened for the 69 year old Cardinal Prevost.
Upon closer deliberation, the Cardinals recognized the traits that Cardinal Prevost could bring to the table. He was a leader, well spoken and a scholar. He was a missionary, showing a history of great compassion and care for the poor and afflicted. He had earned the trust of Pope Francis yet wasn’t afraid to disagree with some of
the positions being pushed by the extreme left. He had experience with the Vatican way. He seemed to be the perfect candidate, with a willingness to hear all, with a mindset on unity, inclusion, and one which was grounded in many of the church’s traditional teachings. In addition, he speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese, and can read in Latin and German. The rest as they say…is history. It did not take the Cardinals long to realize that this is the one who the Holy Spirit was calling.
The selection of an American Pope is a historic one that breaks the norms of the Catholic Church. The idea of an American Pope had historically been considered a long shot because Cardinals typically picked leaders from non-superpower nations.
There was this fear of combining the two most powerful voices in the world from the same country. Yet the first words from Pope Leo XIV, seemed to put all those feelings to rest, with his very powerful, “Peace be with you all” and his emphasizing a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization.
Taking the lead to shepherd the 1.8 billion Catholics worldwide, Pope Leo XIV has a long journey to walk, lead, and craft as he remains focused on his Catholic discipline for the support and progress of the Catholic church.
He will attempt to bring clarity to a world that has had a hard time with the spin the media has put on many of Pope Francis’s messages. He will use his skills to help get the Vatican finances back in order. He will bring an understanding of the western church and its ways, with the hope of knocking down any barriers that may have been formed. He will continue to mend the fences of the abuse cases. He will be the face of peace in a divided world that is in conflict.
He faces one of the most challenging jobs in the world. He will be the Holy Father who will seek to mend a world full of division and one which has lost its way. He will need all of our prayers.
There is a real feeling of hope and genuine excitement. May God bless Pope Leo XIV and give him strength. Peace my Brothers and Sisters until next week…
