The pope is the bishop of Rome and the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church

. The most recent pope was Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio), who served from 2013 until his death on April 21, 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first from Latin America, and the first non-European pope since the 8th century

. Following Pope Francis's death, a conclave elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope on May 8, 2025. He took the papal name Leo XIV and is the first American pope. Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost has extensive missionary experience in Peru and is known for his work with marginalized communities

. Thus, as of May 22, 2025, the current pope is Pope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost)