Bridging the Catholic Divide

Born in the U.S., forged in Peru, chosen in Rome, Leo XIV will helm a church facing debt, division and decline

- KHALEDA RAHMAN

AN AVID AMATEUR TENNIS player from Chicago with Creole roots who speaks five languages and is described as a consensus builder will aim to bring unity to the Catholic faith and it's 1.4 billion adherents.

Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV following the largest-ever conclave—with 133 cardinals participating—that lasted just two days.

The 69-year-old, who was revealed as the church's 267th leader on May 8 from the loggia at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, greeted his flock cheering from the square below, and watching on TV around the world, with the words: "Peace be with you."

He expressed a desire to bridge divides in his first address, delivered in Italian and Spanish. "We want to be a synodal church, walking and always seeking peace, charity, closeness, especially to those who are suffering," he said.

While there was much excitement about Leo being the first American pope in the church's 2,000-year history, the pontiff faces a number of immediate challenges.

Leo ascends to the papacy at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, when Russia is continuing its war in Ukraine and Israel has renewed its offensive in Gaza after a temporary ceasefire.