Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who has chosen the papal name Leo XIV, appears on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican May 8, 2025, following his election during the conclave. (OSV News/Reuters/Yara Nardi)

Robert Prevost was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in a hospital founded by the Sisters of Mercy on Chicago's South Side. Four years ago, facing bankruptcy, the nuns sold Mercy Hospital to a technology firm.

Growing up, Prevost attended St. Mary of the Assumption Parish. The parish became too expensive for the Chicago Archdiocese to maintain in the early 2010s. The parish buildings were closed and put up for sale, and the parish merged with another in 2011.

The challenges for Catholics where Prevost grew up are a microcosm of the gargantuan problems facing the Catholic Church.

As with the problems facing Catholics in Chicago, the new Pope Leo XIV must address looming financial difficulties and the challenges of a dwindling flock as the head of a global religion that counts 1.4 billion members worldwide.

The College of Cardinals has decided he is up to the challenge. That might be because of his background. Prevost is unusually qualified to address the most pressing challenges of the Catholic Church. See full story...