In fact, the last Pope to visit Nigeria was Pope John Paul II, who made apostolic journeys to the country in 1982 and 1998. Pope Francis, who has been serving since 2013, has not visited Nigeria during his papacy.
However, in September 2016, Nigeria hosted a significant event for the Augustinian Order: the Intermediate General Chapter. This gathering brought together Augustinian leaders from around the world in Abuja, marking the first time a mendicant order held such a chapter on the African continent. The event was led by the Prior General of the Order, the Most Reverend Alejandro Moral Antón, O.S.A.
The Intermediate General Chapter served as a moment for the Augustinians to evaluate the progress made on the Order’s global impact on serving the Church. Discussions included topics such as vocations, formation, economy, and the structures of the Order. The selection of Nigeria as the host country was seen as a prophetic gesture, emphasizing the Order’s commitment to reaching out to the peripheries and embracing the richness of the African Church.
What to Know About Pope Leo XIV, the First American Pope
Pope Leo XIV, who was born Robert Prevost, is the first U.S. citizen to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
Prior to his historic election Thursday via conclave, Leo was known as Cardinal Robert Prevost. The 69-year-old was born in Chicago, making him the first American to be elected to the papacy. Prevost’s selection on the fourth ballot ended the search for a successor to Pope Francis following the latter’s death on April 21.
Pope Leo greeted followers for the first time from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City about an hour after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, signaling the cardinals had agreed on a new leader. “Peace be with you all,” he began his short remarks in Italian.
“We can be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, that is always open to receive everyone—just like in this square, to welcome everyone, in charity, dialogue and love,” he told the large crowd, per The Washington Post.
Although he has decades of experience within the church, Prevost’s selection came as a relative surprise given his origins. The only other pope to come from the Americas was Francis, who hailed from Argentina. As the world becomes familiar with the new holy leader, here’s what you need to know about Pope Leo XIV.
America’s First Pope
A Guide to Pope Leo XIV’s Family
He has two brothers
Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago and raised in the nearby suburb of Dolton.
His parents were Louis Marius Prevost, an educator, and Mildred Martínez, a librarian. Robert also has two brothers, Louis Martin Prevost and John Joseph Prevost.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Prevosts were members of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish near the Chicago border. The family participated as musicians, altar boys, and lectors. “To think about we knew him when he was a kid,” a childhood friend, Noelle Neis, told the newspaper. “He’s just like one of us. Before [the papacy] was so out of reach for anybody.”
He studied mathematics in college
Villanova is the only Augustinian Catholic university in the United States.
Prevost completed his undergraduate education at Villanova University, where he earned a bachelor of science in mathematics in 1977. Prevost then earned a master of divinity degree from Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union in 1982 and was ordained a priest that same year. He later picked up licentiate and doctorate degrees in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
Prevost holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Peru
Much of Prevost’s early ministry took place in Peru. He joined the country’s Augustinian mission in 1985 and, while in the country, oversaw the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo and taught canon law before returning to Chicago in 1999.
Prevost went back to Peru in 2014 after Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo. A year later, he acquired Peruvian citizenship.
