Robert Prevost, who was elected as the 267th pontiff, grew up in Chicago but lived for years in Peru, where he was the Bishop of the northern Chiclayo diocese.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chicago and the Peruvian city of Chiclayo have been celebrating the election of Robert Prevost as the new pope.
Prevost, 69, who has taken the papal name Leo XIV, has close ties with them both, having grown up in Chicago and later lived for decades in Peru, first as a missionary and then as the bishop of the northern city of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.
After the dual US-Peruvian citizen was announced as the next leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday evening, following four rounds of voting in the conclave, people in the US and Peru spoke of their joy.
At the Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago, Mary Perrotti, the director of advancement, said her pupils were elated by the elevation of a “native son” to the papacy.
“Our students are just beside themselves. They're beyond excited and can't believe a Chicagoan is their new pope. They were in awe,” said Perrotti.
“Our young people have a model now of a leader with justice and compassion at the heart of his ministries — and who is from their home,” she added. “It's such a deep feeling of connection for them.”
John Doughney, who was in the same year as Pope Leo XIV in school, remembered him as a “friend to everyone” and as a “kind, caring, compassionate young man”.
“Even when he was 12 and 13, it was apparent to all of us that he knew what his calling was,” he said. “It would've shocked all of us if he didn't go into the priesthood. We're so proud of him.”
Thousands of miles south of Chicago, people rejoiced at the news in Peru, including in Chiclayo and in the capital Lima.
Pope Leo XIV may be the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church, but Peru, which gave him citizenship in 2015, also claims him as its own.
In his first address as pope from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he switched to Spanish to wish his former diocese well.
“Greetings…to all of you, and in particular, to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith,” he said.
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte suggested that his election was a “historic moment” for Peru.
“He chose to be one of us, to live among us, and to carry in his heart the faith, culture, and dreams of this nation,” she said, noting he was a Peruvian citizen by “choice and conviction”.
The bells of Lima’s cathedral tolled after his victory was announced.
“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said teacher Isabel Panez. “We would like him to visit us here in Peru,” she added.