Former U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have extended warm congratulations to Chicago native Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on his election as Pope Leo XIV, marking the first American pontiff in Catholic Church history.
In a social media post, the Obamas recognized the historic significance of the moment for both their hometown and the nation.
“This is a historic day for the United States,” President Obama wrote, noting the new pope’s Chicago roots. “Michelle and I send our congratulations to a fellow Chicagoan… We will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church.” The message underscores the cultural milestone represented by the election of a U.S.-born pope after centuries of European pontiffs.
Pope Leo XIV, born September 14, 1955, brings a unique transnational background to the papacy. The son of immigrants with French, Italian, and Spanish heritage, his academic training includes advanced degrees in mathematics and theology before specializing in canon law. His extensive missionary work in Peru, where he served for decades before rising through Church leadership, gives him rare firsthand experience with both Global North and South realities.
The new pope’s professional trajectory reflects his blended expertise – from seminary professor in Peru to Vatican bureaucrat overseeing bishop appointments. Fluent in three languages and holding dual U.S.-Peruvian citizenship, his election signals potential shifts in how the Church engages with the Americas and beyond. By choosing the name Leo XIV, he invokes the legacy of Pope Leo XIII, known for addressing social inequality through his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum.
As dignitaries worldwide offer congratulations, attention turns to how Pope Leo XIV will navigate complex challenges from secularization to clerical abuse reforms. His Chicago upbringing, Latin American pastoral experience, and Vatican administrative background position him uniquely to bridge divides within the global Church. The Obamas’ public support highlights the cross-cultural significance of this papacy, which begins as both a personal achievement for Prevost and a symbolic moment for American Catholics.
