After less than 24 hours of seclusion in the Vatican, cardinals ended the 2025 papal conclave with the election of a new pontiff. The man chosen, Cardinal Robert Prevost, will be known as Pope Leo XIV — the first pope ever from the United States.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost – now known as Pope Leo XIV — is the first pope from the United States. The 69-year-old from Chicago is known as a leader with global experience. He spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments.

While Robert Francis Prevost didn’t attend St. Rita of Cascia High School in Ashburn, his connection to the school runs deep. In the 1980s, he was a substitute and summer school teacher at the school for math and physics.