Who Is Leo XIV? The Journey of a Controversial Candidate Before the 2025 Conclave
Controversy Surrounds Leo XIV Before Conclave 2025 — Here’s His Full Story
Pope Leo XIV came under fire for his previous conduct within the Catholic Church just before he was elected pope. Some, however, maintain that he is only the target of a smear campaign.
Pope Leo XIV was the first American to hold the position of head of the Roman Catholic Church, leading 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
His ascent to the pope, however, has brought attention to earlier allegations in spite of this historic occasion.
Questions from the past started to crop up again even as the world embraced the new leader.
Pope Leo XIV came under fire before to his formal appointment because of claims that connected him to several priests who were eventually charged with major crimes by women.
He had maintained strong relationships with a number of them at the time, according to observers, and some of those same clergy members turned against him in their testimonies when the legal process started.
The fallout was swift. There were questions about whether he had disregarded warning indications or not taken action when it was most important.
Lopez de Casas was one of those who publicly disapproved of him and expressed so without holding back:
“He’s hardly a good priest if he observed and said nothing. Complicity is what that is.
As the public discussion progressed, Pope Leo’s lengthy tenure in the Church received increased attention.
He has lived much of his religious life overseas, having been appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to lead the Vatican institution that selects and oversees bishops around the world.
He worked as a missionary, a parish priest, a teacher, and a bishop in Peru.
The pontiff, who speaks Italian and Spanish fluently, made many trips to visit religious communities while he was head of the Augustinian order.
According to Harvard Divinity School assistant professor of Catholic theology studies Raúl E. Zegarra, Pope Leo recognizes that the core of the Church “is not in the United States or the North Atlantic.”
After describing his global service and fluency in multiple languages, Pope Leo publicly took on his new position with a message of hope and unity.
As the 267th pope, the 69-year-old said, “Peace be with you all,” while standing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8, 2025, speaking to the faithful assembled below.
He urged Catholics to remember the late Pope Francis’s efforts to unite people as he addressed the audience in St. Peter’s Square.
After that, the Chicago native gave his own vision for the Church:
Together, we must strive to be a missionary church. A church that fosters communication and understanding.
Pope Leo called on the faithful to practice charity and have love-based conversations in his speech, which was given in Italian. He also stressed the importance of compassion and genuine connection.
His message of connectedness and kindness was shortly followed by a closer examination of his rapid ascent to the pope.
Pope Leo was chosen by the 133 cardinals who had entered the conclave just two days earlier, indicating significant support at the beginning of the voting process.
His election process was as quick as that of recent popes: John Paul II took three days to be elected in 1978, whilst Francis and Benedict XVI were chosen on the second day.
As the ceremonial ceremonies progressed, tradition swiftly took center stage, but it did follow a pattern observed with his previous predecessors.
Choosing a new name is one of the first tasks after assuming the position of Supreme Pontiff; this tradition dates back to the early years of the Church.
“Habemus Papam,” the pope’s Latin baptismal name, is then used by the Cardinal Protodeacon to announce the decision to the public.
This ancient custom represents a spiritual rebirth and was initially inspired by Saint Peter, whose real name was Simon.
The decision has subsequently evolved into a symbolic act, even if early name changes frequently separated new popes from pagan identities.
Only 129 of the 267 popes in history have adopted a new name, and by 955, the custom had become well-established.
Most followed the tradition, sometimes even choosing a third name that was used inside religious orders, however some, like Adrian VI and Marcellus II, retained their birth names.
Now that his appointment is official, the Catholic world is celebrating. From Rome to small towns, his name is uttered at services and in churches.
The occasion has sparked scenes of pleasure and popular pride in the US, where about one in five persons identify as religious.
The joy resonated with people all across the world, especially Pope Leo’s own family, and extended beyond the doors of the Vatican.
The announcement evoked strong emotions in the US, but none were more sincere than those of his two elder brothers.
The day before the conclave started, John Prevost remembered talking to his brother. “I think I could be the first American pope,” he had told him.
Pope Leo at the time dismissed it as “nonsense” and “just talk,” stating unequivocally that “they’re not going to pick an American pope.” John continued, “He just didn’t believe it, or didn’t want to believe it.”
Louis Prevost, their oldest brother, was sleeping at home in Florida when his wife informed him that the Sistine Chapel was covered in white smoke.
He instantly recognized the name “Roberto” as soon as he heard it during the announcement.
His words were, “That’s Rob,” “I was just thankful I was still in bed lying down, because I might have fallen down.” He claimed that spontaneous joy ensued:
“I got out of bed and started dancing around like an idiot.”
The moment was not wholly unexpected to Louis. He recalled Pope Leo as a little child who was already interested in becoming a priest. He would use Necco wafers to pretend to administer Communion as his brothers played games from their youth. He revealed:
We used to constantly make fun of him; you’ll be the pope someday. The same thing was said by neighbors. Here we are after sixty-some years.
Decades of silent dedication, shaped long before cameras and headlines, are the foundation of the Prevost family’s pride.
That journey starts in Chicago, where Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez welcomed Pope Leo into the world on September 14, 1955.
After completing his religious education with the Augustinian Fathers, he attended Villanova University to study philosophy and mathematics. He became a member of the Augustinian novitiate in 1977, took his solemn vows in 1981, and made his first vows a year later.
The 27-year-old was ordained in 1982 at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica in Rome after continuing his path to the priesthood at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Later on, he finished his PhD in canon law, concentrating on the local prior’s function in the Augustinian order.
Pope Leo was dispatched to Peru during the middle of the 1980s, where he worked for more than ten years in resource-poor communities. He led parish communities, taught and served in leadership positions, and shaped future priests.
He was chosen as the Augustinian Province’s Provincial Prior in Chicago in 1999. He was then named Prior General of the order in 2001, serving a second term in 2007.
Before Pope Francis named him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in 2014, he briefly returned to Chicago in 2013.
He was consecrated as a bishop a month later. His motto, “In Illo uno unum,” which is derived from Saint Augustine’s teachings, emphasizes unity via Christ.
He oversaw the Diocese of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. The Pope also served with the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Clergy during this time, among other national and Vatican-level positions.
He continued to serve in Peru until being called to the highest position in the Church in 2020, when he was also named Apostolic Administrator of Callao.
Claims of misbehavior against him within the Church prompted the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to launch an internal investigation as his leadership route became more apparent.
The investigation sought to ascertain whether Pope Leo was involved in any way. Following months of careful investigation, officials discovered no evidence of wrongdoing and declared the charges to be unfounded.
The allegations, according to supporters, were the result of a smear effort connected to a Catholic organization in Peru that had been disbanded under Pope Francis.
As the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo’s election is historic.
His image as a wise and seasoned leader was forged by his decades of service, particularly in Peru and within the Augustinian order.
His pontificate was put to the test by early controversy, but a Vatican investigation found no wrongdoing. The world Church is keeping a careful eye on him as he starts his term to see how he will lead it.
