Before becoming pope, Leo XIV spent nearly a decade in northern Peru, where he earned deep respect by reforming a conservative diocese through listening, inclusion and a quietly transformative leadership style.

Pope Leo XIV, has a patchwork background that speaks to the melting pot that is the United States — and his birthplace, the city of Chicago.

Father Robert Prevost first arrived in Peru in 1985 during a time of crisis, the aftermath of devastating El Niño rains that had left thousands of people homeless.