He cheered loudly when the 69-year-old Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost first appeared on the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on May 8, 2025.

As an expert in Catholic history and rituals, I know this moment is important to Catholics and others around the world. A new pope brings him a sense of excitement, often mixed with uncertainty.

However, the Cardinal Academy’s choice surprised some. Prevost was the first pope in the United States, and traditionally, the European-led Cardinal Academy retained the choice of cardinals from the United States because they feared that there would be too much American influence in the church.

So, who is Prevost and what might affect the Cardinal's vote?

Early experience

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Prevost joined the Catholic religious order at the age of 20: The order of St. Augustine is known as Augustinians, and was founded in the 13th century. Instead of evacuating the world with isolated monasteries, the members of the order travelled as a remodeler to help the poor as well as to serve as missionaries and teachers.

Prevost studied theology in the United States and Rome, spending a year in Peru as a newly appointed pastor. After a brief return to the United States by Augustine, Illinois, officials returned to Peru to serve as a seminary professor who taught Canon Law, the legal structure of the Catholic Church. He will remain in Peru for the next 10 years.

In 1999, he became the predecessor of Chicago's local Augustinian province - i.e., first head, and later elected to the Global Augustinian Order. This gave him a real global experience, as the Augustines have about 50 communities on each continent.

In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him as bishop of the Chiclayo diocese in Peru. In 2019, Francis appointed him as a member of several important Vatican Dicasters or divisions, where he was very familiar with the central church government. Most importantly, he served as governor-or chairman of Bishop Dicastery.

In fact, due to his long pastoral experience in serving in Peru and the Vatican, some commentators pointed out before choosing Prevost that if the Cardinal was going to elect the American Pope, it would be him. His service to the Bishop Dicastery is particularly important because of the key role of the member in the selection of a new bishop.

Global Church

In the 20th century, especially after the Second Vatican Parliament - a series of meetings of the World Bishops, ending with the modern church, ended in 1965 - the Pope began to name the Cardinals from other parts of the world as the Cardinals who were previously considered to be the periphery of the Catholic church.

This led to the first time in centuries choosing a pope from outside Italy. Pope St. John Paul II was a Polish and the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century. Pope Benedict XVI is another non-Italian born in Germany and has served as a Vatican official. Pope Francis was born in South America and immigrated to Argentina by Italian-born parents.

Until recently, Cardinal College had few representatives from other continents and is now more international. About 80% of Cardinal electrons are named by Francis, many of which come from countries where there has never been a cardinal.

The Cardinal may have considered many factors when reviewing his records. Prevost will be an effective administrator for the head of the church and an expert in church law. He has decades of experience working as a pastor in South and North America. As a predecessor throughout Augustine’s Order, he might travel extensively, visiting many of the communities he oversees.

Pope under Leo

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21acy7jqk7y[/embed]

The new pope appeared on the Vatican balcony, wearing traditional papal costumes: white cassava, short red cloak, decorated red and gold stolen, and a golden cross hanging around the neck. Francis, on the other hand, appears in the pope's naive white cassava.

Of course, he did not have the simplicity of choosing Francis. Is this a sign that he is more of a traditionalist?

I think the name of his choice of the pope can indicate a different point of view. Pope Leo XIII wrote the groundbreaking encyclopedia, "novarum rerum novarum", in 1891, titled "On Dignity and Labor". In this regard, he stressed the right of workers to union and criticize their working and living conditions. He also advocated other rights that ordinary workers deserve.

Leo Fourteen's first sentence on the balcony, glimpsing his Pope's direction, emphasizes the role of Catholics and the Church as peacemakers and bridge builders, and speaks with other religious traditions and cultures. His first sentence was "peace with everyone", which described this peace as "disarmed peace, disarmed peace". He further urged Catholics to "une fear... unite with each other... build bridges" through dialogue and propaganda to bring peace to the world.

He may not follow Francis completely, but he may continue to walk in the same direction.