VetFamily: Pope Leo XIV

Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV was elected as the first American-born pope - and he comes from a military family. Born Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-native’s father served in the Navy during World War II, and his brother served in the Navy for 12 years.

Pope Leo XIV made his first remarks as the 267th pope from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8, calling for peace. He paid tribute to the late Pope Francis, whom he succeeded after his passing at age 88 in April. His family was thrilled at the news.

“It’s shocking, mind-numbing, mind-blowing,” the pope’s older brother Louis Prevost told NewsNation. “I still haven’t figured out how to tell anybody what I feel, other than out of my head, crazy with happiness, pride, joy, love for my brother…it just brought tears to my eyes. You know that’s my little brother. He’s now pope.” 

As kids growing up in Dolton, Illinois, the two and their third brother, John, attended Catholic schools. Louis told the NYTimes how his youngest brother was a peacemaker who preferred to play priest when other children pretended to be cowboys or bank robbers.

“As soon as he got out of eighth grade, Robert went directly into the seminary,” Louis said. “It was like he knew what he wanted to do, and more power to him, and he’s been quite successful at it, right?”

Louis went on to serve 12 years in the Navy before moving to Florida with his wife. Their father, Louis Marius Prevost, was also a Navy man. He was commissioned in November 1943 and became the executive officer of a tank landing ship. He participated in the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, June 6, 1944, as part of Operation Overlord. He spent 15 months overseas and attained the rank of lieutenant junior grade before the war in Europe finally ended, May 8, 1945. He worked in education in Chicago and was also a catechist — a teacher of the principles of the Christian religion.

Robert seemed destined for his future appointment, dedicating his life to his faith. He earned a Degree in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977 and the same year entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.) in Saint Louis, in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel of Chicago. He made his first profession on September 2, 1978. On August 29, 1981, he made his solemn vows. He received his theological education at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. In Rome, he was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica by Archbishop Jean Jadot. 

He spent much of his career in Peru holding dual citizenship. He was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru by Pope Francis on September 26, 2015. 

"I thought I had done traveling in the Navy, but, my God, he blew me away," his brother said.

Pope Francis created Robert Cardinal in the Consistory of September 30, 2023, and assigned him the Diaconate of Saint Monica. And on February 6 of this year, the Argentine Pope promoted him to the Order of Bishops, granting him the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano. The white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel on May 8 and his name was announced as the new pope.

His brother told Good Morning America that if their parents were still alive they would be feeling "extreme joy" and "extreme pride" about their son, but they would also be concerned as to how he would handle his new role because "it's a heavy weight on his shoulders."