Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. He was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. He was on missions in Peru and knows the situation in that country very well, according to a biographical note on the website of the College of Cardinals.
He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Then he graduated with a master's degree from a theological academy in his hometown. After that, he has a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College “Saint Thomas Aquinas“ in Rome.
He is a representative of the Augustinian Order. He was ordained a priest in 1982. Then he went on a mission to Peru and spent several years there. He then returned to Chicago for service, but then returned to Peru, where he spent 10 years in Trujillo. In 1999, he returned to Chicago again and held various senior positions with the Augustinians.
In 2014, he returned to Peru again, when Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo. He became Bishop of Chiclayo in 2015. There he was also vice-president and member of the permanent council of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference until 2023.
From 2020 to 2021 Prevost is the apostolic administrator of Callao, Peru. Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in January 2023, a powerful position in the election of bishops. In 2023, Pope Francis ordained Prevost a cardinal.
He is discreet in the media, but is valued for his ability to listen to others and to speak with clarity and skill on the topics discussed. He is considered close to Francis' vision on the environment and on the Church's closeness to the poor and migrants. He also supported Francis in his decision to allow divorced and remarried couples to receive Holy Communion.
Prevost has a reputation as a moderate who can bridge different points of view and disagreements. After the death of Pope Francis, Prevost said that there is much to be done in the Church, recalls Agence France-Presse. Prevost was also president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, the agency added.