Pope Leo XIV is head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 8 May 2025. He was elected in the 2025 papal conclave as the successor to Pope Francis.

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Mildred Agnes Prevost (née Martínez), was born in Chicago into a mixed-race family of Louisiana Creole descent that moved to Chicago from the 7th Ward of New Orleans; she graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor's degree in library science in 1947. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, also a Chicago native, of Italian and French descent, was a United States Navy veteran of World War II who first commanded an infantry landing craft in the Normandy landings and later participated in Operation Dragoon in southern France; he later became superintendent of Brookwood School District 167 in Glenwood, Illinois. Prevost has two older brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.

Known as "Rob" to his family and "Bob" to friends as an adult, Prevost was raised in Dolton, Illinois, a suburb bordering Chicago's far South Side. He grew up in the parish of St. Mary of the Assumption in nearby Riverdale, where he went to school, sang in the choir, and served as an altar boy. Prevost aspired to the priesthood from a young age, and would play-act the mass at home with his brothers.

Prevost earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in mathematics from Villanova University, an Augustinian college located near Philadelphia, in 1977. He obtained a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982, and taught physics and math at St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago during his studies. He earned a Licentiate of Canon Law (JCL) in 1984, followed by a Doctor of Canon Law (JCD) degree in 1987, both from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. His doctoral thesis was a study of the role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine. Villanova University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 2014.

In addition to his native language of English, Leo speaks Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, along with some German. He can also read Latin. During his time in Peru, Leo learned a little of one of the Quechuan languages. He has described himself as "quite the amateur tennis player". Leo is a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, and was in attendance at US Cellular Field (now known as Rate Field) in Chicago for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. He also shows support for Villanova University athletics, especially the Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team. Leo regularly plays Wordle and Words with Friends with his brothers. As a teenager, he enjoyed driving recreationally.