Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago. On May 8, he was elected the new pope, the first American to serve in the role. He took the name Pope Leo XIV. For the first time in history, the pope is an American. Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected May 8 as Pope Leo XIV. In Nashville, area Catholics celebrated the news. "Let us give thanks to God for this moment of renewal and unity in the life of the Church," Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding said in a statement.