Rosa’s Reviews > LEO XIV - Robert Francis Prevost - The Life of the Man behind the Pope: The Most Insightful Biography of Pope Leo XIV—A Story of Faith, Humility, and Global Change > Status Update

He is a pontiff of multiple peripheries: born in Chicago, formed in Peru, elected in Rome.

The rise of a North American pontiff—an occurrence that was for decades considered diplomatically problematic, even taboo—represents a deep recalibration of the Church’s relationship with Western power itself.

Robert’s contribution helped shape the synod’s emphasis on integral ecology, indigenous rights, and inculturated evangelization.

The novitiate year was a time of withdrawal from the world, marked by intense prayer, study of the Rule of St. Augustine, and discernment within community life.

Instead, he bowed his head, made the sign of the cross, and greeted the world with a voice that was calm, measured, and deeply human. In that moment, Pope Leo XIV began his pontificate—not with spectacle, but with sincerity.