Pope Leo XIV waves from a Vatican window behind a red-draped balcony while holding papers.
Pope Leo XIV announced he was to undergo surgery during the Sunday Angelus prayer on October 11, 2026.

Elisabetta Trevisan - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

  • In May 2025, Pope Leo XIV was elected as the current pope.
  • Hailing from Chicago, he has been outspoken about the impact of AI on society during his papacy.
  • Pope Leo XIV was recently diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery.

Pope Leo XIV was elected pope in May 2025.

Born Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV has since made his mark on the papacy, writing his first encyclical about the impact of artificial intelligence on society and making key appointments to the Vatican.

He's the first pope from the US and the 267th pope overall.

Most recently, Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.

Here's what you need to know about Pope Leo XIV.

Robert Prevost was born in Chicago in 1955.
Pope Leo XIV wearing black and red clasping his hands together
US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost attends the funeral of Pope Francis in 2025.

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He's 71 years old and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. He has two brothers.

He's also a citizen of Peru, where he was first assigned in 1985, and later served as the Bishop of Chiclayo.

He has a doctorate and is multilingual.
Pope Leo XIV in green and tall white hat holding his hands together
Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost, celebrates a Mass in 2025.

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He studied at Villanova University and the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. In 1984, he obtained his Canon Law licentiate, and in 1985, he defended his doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Pope Leo XIV speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French.

Pope Francis appointed him to one of the Vatican's most influential positions.
Pope Francis and Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost smile together
Pope Francis and Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost in 2023.

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In 2023, the then-pope appointed then-Bishop Prevost as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, which plays a key role in bishop nominations.

In 2024, Pope Leo said in an interview with Vatican News that a "bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them and to suffer with them."

A group of 133 cardinals elected him during the May 2025 conclave.
Cardinals of the Catholic Church at the election conclave in 2005 at the Vatican, Vatican City.
Cardinals of the Catholic Church at the papal conclave in 2005.

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The process is known as the conclave. It took two days and four rounds of voting for the cardinals to agree on a new pope, per the AP.

Before the conclave, the National Catholic Reporter wrote that it was unlikely the US cardinal would become pope because of political implications. Yet Cardinal Prevost was considered a contender by others, especially as the week went on, ABC News reported.

Pope Leo XIV gave his first message on May 8, 2025.
Pope Leo XIV stands in front of a red curtain
Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost, addresses the crowd from the balcony of the St Peter's Basilica in 2025.

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Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo XIV said, "Peace be with all of you" in his first words in his new role. He spoke in Italian and then Spanish.

"My experience of Cardinal Prevost was that he's not a showboat," Father Mark R. Francis, who worked with Pope Leo in the past, told CBS News in 2025. "He's very calm, but extremely intelligent, and extremely compassionate."

Since becoming pope, he has begun putting his stamp on the Church.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan walks beside Pope Leo XIV during a ceremonial military honor guard with Turkish flags.
TOPSHOT - Pope Leo XIV is welcomed by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on November 27, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images)

Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images

He canonized Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in September 2025, and made his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon in November and December of that year.

His first encyclical, a letter written by the Pope for guidance, addressed AI.
Pope Leo XIV sits at a dais with microphones and flowers against a wood-paneled backdrop.
Pope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first Encyclical Letter, "Magnifica Humanitas," on May 25, 2026.

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Business Insider's Joshua Nelken-Zitser identified three main takeaways from the encyclical: the power of AI should not be monopolized by a small group; AI developers should ensure that what they are cultivating "is a genuine good"; and warnings that AI could lead to mass unemployment.

In addition to the encyclical, Pope Leo XIV has spoken about AI multiple times, including a recent address to artists and curators in which he said, "We urgently need to distinguish human art from what is produced by machines."

Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer on October 13, 2026.
Pope Leo XIV walks outdoors with suited aides and security as one person points ahead.
Pope Leo XIV arriving at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital ahead of his surgery.

Isabella Bonotto/Anadolu via Getty Images

The pope underwent an operation to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Holy See press office said in October. It added that the surgery was successful with no complications.

The operation confirmed a previously suspected lung cancer diagnosis.

On Wednesday, the Holy See press office said the "night passed calmly" for the pope.

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