As thousands gather at the Vatican and around the world to celebrate Pope Leo XIV, here’s how the first United States-born pontiff began his journey on the opposite American hemisphere in northern Peru.

A former physics and math teacher in his native Chicago, Illinois, Robert Francis Prevost entered the novitiate in Saint Louis, Missouri. His mother was of Spanish descent, while his father was of Franco-Italian. A proud Chicagoan, he regularly returned to serve as a pastor and a prior. But it was Peru, where at the age of 30, a new culture and language were waiting to shape his path to papacy. 

He ventured there as part of the Augustinian mission, followers of the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church. Arriving in 1985, he served as chancellor of the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas for a year. Later, he played a key role as bishop of Chiclayo and worked in Callao and Trujillo. 

His predecessor, Pope Francis from Argentina, recognized his service in Peru when he confirmed him as bishop just one year into his papacy. Nine years later, the late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal, naming him Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Monica degli Agostiniani in Rome.

“We still hear in our ears the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis, who blessed us,” said Pope Leo XIV in his first speech from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The speech was spoken in a mixture of Spanish and Italian, with the new pontiff fluent in both. His biography on social media platform X reads, “Católico, agustino, Obispo.” 

He even holds a Peruvian passport. Peru’s president, Dina Boluarte, congratulated the new pope, saying, “The pope is Peruvian; God loves Peru.”

According to Herald sister publication Ámbito, many Vatican insiders see him as a “bridge” between the institutional church of the global North and the more popular one from the South. They added that, at a time when names from Africa, Asia, and Latin America were being tossed around, a North American with a Latin American background stood out as an unexpected candidate.

While Pope Leo XIV may have more than 20 years of experience working in Latin America, his time in the region has not been without scandal. Several individuals who say they were abused by two priests beginning in 2007 allege that Prevost failed to open an investigation when the accusations were presented to him in 2022, raising concerns about accountability and transparency within the Church.

Although no formal charges have been presented, the allegation remains a stain on his resumé. Predecessor Francis brought an era of compassion and transparency, following decades of child sexual abuse scandals impacting trust in the Catholic Church across the globe.