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In a historic first for the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago has been elected as the 267th Pope, choosing the name Pope Leo XIV. He becomes the first American in the Church’s 2,000-year history to rise to the papacy.
He was elected on the fourth ballot during the second day of the conclave, which included 133 voting cardinals. The traditional white smoke rising from the 15-shuttle chimney signaled the successful election, prompting joyful celebrations from the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Prevost rose to the papacy following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 in his residence at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. While Prevost is certainly a familiar name to many, there are still several intriguing facts about him that remain relatively unknown.
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Pope Robert Francis Prevost is a big tennis enthusiast
Pope Robert Francis Prevost is an avid fan of tennis and has been for years. However, as he once admitted, after receiving the cardinal’s red hat just a few months into his tenure, he found it difficult to find time for the sport.
He especially missed playing since leaving Peru, where he had served at the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas in the country’s northwest.
“I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player,” he said during an interview (via The Pillar). “Since leaving Peru I have had few occasions to practice so I am looking forward to getting back on the court.”
Interestingly, the Italian Open—an ATP and WTA 1000 tournament currently underway in Rome—witnessed a unique moment in tennis history. As a match was being played on Campo Centrale, the announcement of the new pope was broadcast on the stadium’s side screen with full sound, marking a first for any tennis tournament.
Robert Prevost sparks Cubs vs White Sox debate hours into papacy
Robert Prevost was born in Chicago, so just hours after he was elected as the new Pope on Thursday, fans were quick to question his MLB loyalties. Many wondered whether Pope Leo XIV supported the Chicago Cubs or the Chicago White Sox.
The Cubs even staked a playful claim on him by posting about it on X (formerly Twitter):
“Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV!”
However, his brother John set the record straight in an interview with WGN, revealing that Pope Leo XIV has always been a Chicago White Sox fan, not a Cubs supporter. He also shared that their mother, Mildred, was a devoted Cubs fan, while their father, Louis Marius, rooted for the St. Louis Cardinals.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan. So I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,” John said.
The new pope has yet to make any public statement regarding his sports affiliations.
Pope Robert Prevost's dual citizenship, multilingual skills & more
Robert Prevost, 69, grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a suburb near Chicago. He completed his secondary education at St. Augustine Seminary High School before going on to earn a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova University.
Prevost received a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982. He then pursued advanced studies at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he obtained both a Licentiate and a Doctorate in Canon Law. In 2014, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by Villanova University.
The new pope is highly skilled linguistically, being fluent in four languages besides his native English: Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. He is also proficient in reading Latin and German, as reported by the National Catholic Reporter.
He even addressed the cheering crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in fluent Italian and later spoke in Spanish during his brief address. Interestingly, he chose not to speak in English.
Prevost also holds dual citizenship, with nationality in both the United States and Peru, where he served for many years. In his first address after being elected pope, he warmly greeted the people of Peru and his former diocese in Chiclayo.
