Visit of León XIV: Who is Robert Prevost, the Second Pope to Visit Argentina

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope in May 2025. His name was strongly considered, as he exemplifies the new profile of ecclesiastical leadership promoted by the Argentine pontiff: close to the peripheries, multilingual, and with pastoral experience outside the traditional European axis.

Born in Chicago in 1955 and raised in a Catholic family with working-class roots, Prevost entered the Order of Saint Augustine in his youth, driven by a missionary vocation that solidified with his studies in philosophy and theology at the Catholic Theological Union and later in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in Canon Law.

He was ordained a priest in 1982, and soon began a trajectory that would take him outside the United States, distancing him from the comfort of the academic sphere to serve the peripheries.
His fluent Spanish, sensitivity to Latin American culture, and closeness to Francis's thinking make him a candidate for continuity.

His early ministerial years found him in Peru, where he served as a missionary in a poor region in the north of the country, in the diocese of Chulucanas. There, he developed a pastoral approach focused on closeness, community formation, and human rights advocacy, an experience that profoundly shaped his profile: a religious committed to the social reality of Latin America, who learned to combine doctrinal rigor with a pastoral gaze attentive to the most vulnerable.

Since 2023, he held the strategic position of prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a role that would make him the main advisor to the pontiff on the appointment of bishops worldwide. This function, along with Francis's explicit trust, has given him a privileged place in the Vatican power structure.

Regarding his style, he can be described as sober, with a pastoral tone rather than a political one, while his public profile is discreet, though not devoid of influence: quietly, he built networks both in America and in Rome.

Prevost also carries controversies, as during his time in Peru, his management was questioned for alleged cover-ups in some abuse cases within his diocese. Although there are no formal charges, media allegations have tarnished his image, especially among those demanding greater transparency in the Church.

His fluent Spanish, sensitivity to Latin American culture, and closeness to Francis's thinking make him a great successor, although lacking the expansive charisma of the late pontiff.

In the corridors of the Vatican, many see him as a "bridge" between two Churches: the institutional and the popular; the global North and the South. In times when names from Africa, Asia, and Latin America are being considered, a North American with a Latin heart emerges as an unexpected candidate.

Under this scenario, Prevost represents a balanced option: close enough to the Argentine pope's ideology to ensure continuity, but with the institutional and sober profile that many cardinals value in times of change. He is a figure that combines global pastoral experience, doctrinal training, and management capacity.

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