Robert Prevost, the new pope, is considered a mathematical genius.

Robert Francis Prevost was elected this Thursday, May 8, as the new pope and leader of the Catholic Church, under the name of Leo XIV. In addition to being an American and also holding Peruvian nationality, he has been recognized as a "mathematical genius."

It's worth noting that the new pope spoke in Spanish during his speech to the thousands of faithful gathered at the Vatican. "It's a great honor to know that you are the first American Pope," President Donald Trump wrote.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago in 1955 , is a member of the Order of Saint Augustine and currently Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. He was ordained a priest in 1982 and holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University, with a minor in Philosophy, which he completed in 1977. These studies have been a particular quality that has been highlighted, in addition to his theological career, now that he is the new pope.

For more than a decade, he carried out intense missionary work in Peru, especially in Trujillo, where he also served as a professor and judicial vicar. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Chiclayo and later Apostolic Administrator of Callao.

Prevost has held various leadership positions in his order, including prior general, and has been a member of important Vatican bodies. In 2023, he was created a cardinal, and in 2025, he was promoted to the Order of Bishops with the title of Suburbicarian Church of Albano.

“Habemus Papam! We have a Pope! The cardinals gathered in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel have elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope, who has adopted the name Pope Leo XIV,” Vatican News announced the historic event via X.