Robert Francis Prevost, aged 69, has been elected as the 267th pope and will assume the name Leo XIV. He is the first American to ascend to the papacy, although his extensive missionary work in Peru has also led many to regard him as a cardinal of Latin American origin.

Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian heritage, Prevost began his religious service as an altar boy and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982.

Three years later, he moved to Peru, where he dedicated himself to pastoral and missionary work, while also returning periodically to the United States to serve as both a pastor and prior in his native city.

He holds Peruvian nationality and is warmly remembered for his efforts in supporting marginalized communities and fostering unity. During his time in Peru, he spent a decade serving as a parish priest and seminary instructor in the city of Trujillo, located in the country’s northwest region.

The Roman Catholic Church recognizes a total of 267 legitimate popes, beginning with Saint Peter, who is traditionally considered the first pope, serving from approximately 30 AD until his martyrdom around 64–67 AD.

A Vatican Media handout shows the setting for the mass in the Sistine Chapel. Photograph: VATICAN MEDIA/AFP/Getty Images

Here is the list of all previous popes;

Peter (32-67)
Linus (67-76)
Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
Clement I (88-97)
Evaristus (97-105)
Alexander I (105-115)
Sixtus I (115-125) Also called Xystus I
Telesphorus (125-136)
Hyginus (136-140)
Pius I (140-155)
Anicetus (155-166)
Soter (166-175)
Eleutherius (175-189)
Victor I (189-199)
Zephyrinus (199-217)
Callistus I (217-22) Callistus and the following three popes were opposed by St. Hippolytus, antipope (217-236)
Urban I (222-30)
Pontian (230-35)
Anterus (235-36)
Fabian (236-50)
Cornelius (251-53) Opposed by Novatian, antipope (251)
Lucius I (253-54)
Stephen I (254-257)
Sixtus II (257-258)
Dionysius (260-268)
Felix I (269-274)
Eutychian (275-283)
Caius (283-296) Also called Gaius
Marcellinus (296-304)
Marcellus I (308-309)
Eusebius (309 or 310)
Miltiades (311-14)
Sylvester I (314-35)
Marcus (336)
Julius I (337-52)
Liberius (352-66) Opposed by Felix II, antipope (355-365)
Damasus I (366-84) Opposed by Ursicinus, antipope (366-367)
Siricius (384-99)
Anastasius I (399-401)
Innocent I (401-17)
Zosimus (417-18)
Boniface I (418-22) Opposed by Eulalius, antipope (418-419)
Celestine I (422-32)
Sixtus III (432-40)
Leo I (the Great) (440-61)
Hilarius (461-68)
Simplicius (468-83)
Felix III (II) (483-92)
Gelasius I (492-96)
Anastasius II (496-98)
Symmachus (498-514) Opposed by Laurentius, antipope (498-501)
Hormisdas (514-23)
John I (523-26)
Felix IV (III) (526-30)
Boniface II (530-32) Opposed by Dioscorus, antipope (530)
John II (533-35)
Agapetus I (535-36) Also called Agapitus I
Silverius (536-37)
Vigilius (537-55)
Pelagius I (556-61)
John III (561-74)
Benedict I (575-79)
Pelagius II (579-90)
Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
Sabinian (604-606)
Boniface III (607)
Boniface IV (608-15)
Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)
Boniface V (619-25)
Honorius I (625-38)
Severinus (640)
John IV (640-42)
Theodore I (642-49)
Martin I (649-55)
Eugene I (655-57)
Vitalian (657-72)
Adeodatus (II) (672-76)
Donus (676-78)
Agatho (678-81)
Leo II (682-83)
Benedict II (684-85)
John V (685-86)
Conon (686-87)
Sergius I (687-701) Opposed by Theodore and Paschal, antipopes (687)
John VI (701-05)
John VII (705-07)
Sisinnius (708)
Constantine (708-15)
Gregory II (715-31)
Gregory III (731-41)
Zachary (741-52) Stephen II followed Zachary, but because he died before being consecrated, modern lists omit him
Stephen II (III) (752-57)
Paul I (757-67)
Stephen III (IV) (767-72) Opposed by Constantine II (767) and Philip (768), antipopes (767)
Adrian I (772-95)
Leo III (795-816)
Stephen IV (V) (816-17)
Paschal I (817-24)
Eugene II (824-27)
Valentine (827)
Gregory IV (827-44)
Sergius II (844-47) Opposed by John, antipope
Leo IV (847-55)
Benedict III (855-58) Opposed by Anastasius, antipope (855)
Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)
Adrian II (867-72)
John VIII (872-82)
Marinus I (882-84)
Adrian III (884-85)
Stephen V (VI) (885-91)
Formosus (891-96)
Boniface VI (896)
Stephen VI (VII) (896-97)
Romanus (897)
Theodore II (897)
John IX (898-900)
Benedict IV (900-03)
Leo V (903) Opposed by Christopher, antipope (903-904)
Sergius III (904-11)
Anastasius III (911-13)
Lando (913-14)
John X (914-28)
Leo VI (928)
Stephen VIII (929-31)
John XI (931-35)
Leo VII (936-39)
Stephen IX (939-42)
Marinus II (942-46)
Agapetus II (946-55)
John XII (955-63)
Leo VIII (963-64)
Benedict V (964)
John XIII (965-72)
Benedict VI (973-74)
Benedict VII (974-83) Benedict and John XIV were opposed by Boniface VII, antipope (974; 984-985)
John XIV (983-84)
John XV (985-96)
Gregory V (996-99) Opposed by John XVI, antipope (997-998)
Sylvester II (999-1003)
John XVII (1003)
John XVIII (1003-09)
Sergius IV (1009-12)
Benedict VIII (1012-24) Opposed by Gregory, antipope (1012)
John XIX (1024-32)
Benedict IX (1032-45) He appears on this list three separate times, because he was twice deposed and restored
Sylvester III (1045) Considered by some to be an antipope
Benedict IX (1045)
Gregory VI (1045-46)
Clement II (1046-47)
Benedict IX (1047-48)
Damasus II (1048)
Leo IX (1049-54)
Victor II (1055-57)
Stephen X (1057-58)
Nicholas II (1058-61) Opposed by Benedict X, antipope (1058)
Alexander II (1061-73) Opposed by Honorius II, antipope (1061-1072)
Gregory VII (1073-85) Gregory and the following three popes were opposed by Guibert (“Clement III”), antipope (1080-1100)
Blessed Victor III (1086-87)
Blessed Urban II (1088-99)
Paschal II (1099-1118) Opposed by Theodoric (1100), Aleric (1102) and Maginulf (“Sylvester IV”, 1105-1111), antipopes (1100)
Gelasius II (1118-19) Opposed by Burdin (“Gregory VIII”), antipope (1118)
Callistus II (1119-24)
Honorius II (1124-30) Opposed by Celestine II, antipope (1124)
Innocent II (1130-43) Opposed by Anacletus II (1130-1138) and Gregory Conti (“Victor IV”) (1138), antipopes (1138)
Celestine II (1143-44)
Lucius II (1144-45)
Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)
Anastasius IV (1153-54)
Adrian IV (1154-59)
Alexander III (1159-81) Opposed by Octavius (“Victor IV”) (1159-1164), Pascal III (1165-1168), Callistus III (1168-1177) and Innocent III (1178-1180), antipopes
Lucius III (1181-85)
Urban III (1185-87)
Gregory VIII (1187)
Clement III (1187-91)
Celestine III (1191-98)
Innocent III (1198-1216)
Honorius III (1216-27)
Gregory IX (1227-41)
Celestine IV (1241)
Innocent IV (1243-54)
Alexander IV (1254-61)
Urban IV (1261-64)
Clement IV (1265-68)
Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)
Blessed Innocent V (1276)
Adrian V (1276)
John XXI (1276-77)
Nicholas III (1277-80)
Martin IV (1281-85)
Honorius IV (1285-87)
Nicholas IV (1288-92)
Celestine V (1294)
Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)
Clement V (1305-14)
John XXII (1316-34) Opposed by Nicholas V, antipope (1328-1330)
Benedict XII (1334-42)
Clement VI (1342-52)
Innocent VI (1352-62)
Blessed Urban V (1362-70)
Gregory XI (1370-78)
Urban VI (1378-89) Opposed by Robert of Geneva (“Clement VII”), antipope (1378-1394)
Boniface IX (1389-1404) Opposed by Robert of Geneva (“Clement VII”) (1378-1394), Pedro de Luna (“Benedict XIII”) (1394-1417) and Baldassare Cossa (“John XXIII”) (1400-1415), antipopes
Innocent VII (1404-06) Opposed by Pedro de Luna (“Benedict XIII”) (1394-1417) and Baldassare Cossa (“John XXIII”) (1400-1415), antipopes
Gregory XII (1406-15) Opposed by Pedro de Luna (“Benedict XIII”) (1394-1417), Baldassare Cossa (“John XXIII”) (1400-1415), and Pietro Philarghi (“Alexander V”) (1409-1410), antipopes
Martin V (1417-31)
Eugene IV (1431-47) Opposed by Amadeus of Savoy (“Felix V”), antipope (1439-1449)
Nicholas V (1447-55)
Callistus III (1455-58)
Pius II (1458-64)
Paul II (1464-71)
Sixtus IV (1471-84)
Innocent VIII (1484-92)
Alexander VI (1492-1503)
Pius III (1503)
Julius II (1503-13)
Leo X (1513-21)
Adrian VI (1522-23)
Clement VII (1523-34)
Paul III (1534-49)
Julius III (1550-55)
Marcellus II (1555)
Paul IV (1555-59)
Pius IV (1559-65)
Pius V (1566-72)
Gregory XIII (1572-85)
Sixtus V (1585-90)
Urban VII (1590)
Gregory XIV (1590-91)
Innocent IX (1591)
Clement VIII (1592-1605)
Leo XI (1605)
Paul V (1605-21)
Gregory XV (1621-23)
Urban VIII (1623-44)
Innocent X (1644-55)
Alexander VII (1655-67)
Clement IX (1667-69)
Clement X (1670-76)
Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)
Alexander VIII (1689-91)
Innocent XII (1691-1700)
Clement XI (1700-21)
Innocent XIII (1721-24)
Benedict XIII (1724-30)
Clement XII (1730-40)
Benedict XIV (1740-58)
Clement XIII (1758-69)
Clement XIV (1769-74)
Pius VI (1775-99)
Pius VII (1800-23)
Leo XII (1823-29)
Pius VIII (1829-30)
Gregory XVI (1831-46)
Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)
Leo XIII (1878-1903)
Pius X (1903-14)
Benedict XV (1914-22) Biographies of Benedict XV and his successors will be added at a later date
Pius XI (1922-39)
Pius XII (1939-58)
John XXIII (1958-63)
Paul VI (1963-78)
John Paul I (1978)
John Paul II (1978-2005)
Benedict XVI (2005-2013)
Francis (2013-2025)
Leo XIV (2025—)