The new pope, Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost), speaks multiple languages. Though he is a native English speaker, he primarily speaks Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese. He also reads Latin and German. His fluency in Spanish is particularly strong due to his long ministry in Latin America. Despite being a native English speaker, his first public addresses as pope have been in Italian and Spanish, reflecting his pastoral roots and Vatican experience where Italian is the working language

. By contrast, the previous pope, Francis, is a native Spanish speaker from Argentina and is most comfortable speaking Spanish and Italian. He also knows several other languages including Piedmontese, Portuguese, Ukrainian, French, German, and Latin, but he is less fluent in English and prefers to use interpreters to ensure clarity

. In summary, the new pope Leo XIV speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and reads Latin and German, with a preference for Italian and Spanish in official contexts.