Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A. (born September 14, 1955) is a U.S-born prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who was appointed the prefect of the

Dicastery for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dica ...

on January 30, 2023, and is scheduled to assume office on April 12, 2023. He previously served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023. A member of the

Order of St. Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

, he worked in Peru from 1985 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1998 as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher and administrator. Prevost headed his order from its headquarters in Rome from 2001 to 2013. He spent the years 1987 to 1988 and 1998 to 2001 in the United States, based in Chicago.

Biography

Early life

Robert Francis Prevost was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on September 14, 1955. He completed his secondary studies at the

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

of the Order of St. Augustine in 1973. Prevost earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

in 1977. He joined the Augustinians on September 1, 1977, took his first vows on September 2, 1978, and took his solemn vows on August 29, 1981. The following year he obtained a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree from

Catholic Theological Union Catholic Theological Union (CTU) is a private Roman Catholic graduate school of theology in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the largest Catholic graduate schools of theology in the English speaking world and trains men and women for lay and ordai ...

in Chicago.

Priesthood

Prevost was ordained a priest for the Order of St. Augustine in Rome on June 19, 1982. He earned a licentiate and a doctorate degree in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome in 1984 and 1987, respectively. Prevost joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and served as chancellor of the Territorial Prélature of Chulucanas from 1985 to 1986. He spent the year 1987 to 1988 in the United States as pastor for vocations and director of missions for the Augustinian Province of Chicago. He then returned to Peru, spending the next ten years heading the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo and teaching

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

in the diocesan seminary, where he was also prefect of studies. He served as judge of the regional ecclesiastical court and a member of the

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

of Trujillo. He also led a congregation on the outskirts of the city.

Augustinian leadership

In 1998, Prevost was elected provincial of the Augustinian Province of Chicago and returned to the United States to assume that position on March 8, 1999. In 2000 Prevost allowed James Ray, a priest then accused of abusing minors whose ministry had been restricted since 1991, to reside at the Augustinians' St. John Stone Friary in Chicago, despite its close proximity to a Catholic elementary school. The Augustinians did not notify the school administrators about Ray, who was assigned a monitor while in residence and moved to a different residence in 2002 when Church officials adopted stricter rules for priests accused on abusing minors. In 2001, Prevost was elected to a six-year term as prior general of the Augustinians. He was elected to a second six-year term in 2007. From 2013 to 2014, Prevost was director of formation in the Convent of St. Augustine in Chicago, as well as first councilor and provincial vicar of the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel, which covers the midwestern United States.

Bishop of Chiclayo

On November 3, 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Prevost as

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the Diocese of Chiclayo and titular bishop of Sufar. He received his episcopal consecration on December 12, 2014. On September 26, 2015, he was named bishop of Chiclayo. On July 13, 2019, Prevost was appointed a member of the

Congregation for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regardi ...

. On April 15, 2020, he was named apostolic administrator of

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

in Peru. On November 21, 2020, Pope Francis named him a member of the Congregation for Bishops. Within the Episcopal Conference of Peru, Prevost served on the permanent council for the 2018 to 2020 term. He was elected in 2019 as president of its Commission for Education and Culture. He was also a member of the leadership of Caritas Peru. Prevost had a private audience with Pope Francis on March 1, 2021, fueling speculation of a new assignment either in Chicago or Rome.

Dicastery for Bishops

On January 30, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, with the title Archbishop-Bishop Emeritus of Chiclayo. Prevost is scheduled to take up his new position on April 12.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prevost, Robert Francis 1955 births Living people Augustinian bishops 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Peru Clergy from Chicago Villanova University alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni American Roman Catholic priests Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Roman Catholic bishops of Chiclayo Officials of the Roman Curia