Leo XIV, the first American pope with a Latin soul

Leon XIV, the first American pope in history, has a "Latin soul." That's how Robert Prevost is described by the Augustinians, the congregation of which he is a member and which he led for a decade. Much of his life has been spent in Peru, as a missionary and bishop. Moderate, prudent, reserved and reflective, Francis took him to Rome in recent years to put him in charge of the appointments of the new bishops, a key position. A masterly move by Bergoglio, who was able to see that his qualities made him an ideal candidate for unity in the Church after his groundbreaking papacy.

Born in Chicago 69 years ago, this discreet Augustinian with Spanish blood on his mother's side is a mathematician and doctor in Canon Law by training and a missionary by vocation. In recent years he has had a brilliant career at the hands of Francis, who made him a cardinal and took him to Rome to put him at the head of the Dicastery of Bishops, responsible for the appointment of new prelates around the world. He also made him a member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

"A serene and temperate man, of leisurely speech, and affable gaze and firm convictions"

Those who know him describe him as a "serene and temperate man, of leisurely speech, an affable gaze and firm convictions. One of those leaders who prefer to build from within rather than seek the spotlight." His moderation makes him fit like a glove in the needs of a Church with great divisions between bergoglists and conservatives like Sarah, Muller or the also American Burke.

They also highlight his "Latin American soul" after spending much of his career in Peru. In the 1980s, Prevost was sent as an Augustinian missionary to the diocese of Chulucanas, where he lived for more than 10 years, surrounded by poverty. After serving two terms as superior general of the Augustinians (2001-2013), he returned to Peru as bishop of Chiclayo. "There he maintained that same style: simple pastor, close, with a fine ear for detecting local leaders and forming new vocations," always maintaining the good humor that characterizes him. In fact, his longing was to return to the mission and not to stay in an office.

A moderate who believes in the synodal Church of Francis

Doctrinally, he is placed on the side of the reformers following the legacy of Francis, although from a more moderate starting point. Unlike the Argentinian, Prevost flees from the spotlight and has hardly given interviews or participated in public debates.

Nor is he a lover of social networks. In 2024 he did not share any posts, although the arrival of Trump to the White House encouraged him to reactivate his X account, and not exactly to praise the Republican president.

Criticism of Trump's immigration policy

In fact, his first tweet of the year, on February 3, pointed to Vice President Vance, a self-confessed Catholic, to whom he corrected some of his statements on immigration: "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus does not ask us to classify our love for others."

His other interactions on Elon Musk's social network were to criticize the deportation policy on two occasions (his last post is a retweet in this regard) and two others to pray for Francis' health during his hospital admission.