‘He checked all the boxes.’ Pope Leo XIV overcame a liability — being American
Before he was chosen, Robert Francis Prevost had the papal seal of approval from his predecessor, Francis, who put him in one of the top jobs in the Catholic Church.
(Alessandra Tarantino | AP) Cardinal Robert Prevost appears on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after being chosen the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, choosing the name of Pope Leo XIV, at the Vatican on Thursday, May 8, 2025.