The first Message of Pope Leo XIV for the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Statement by then Father Prevost, now Leo XIV, against the death penalty in the U.S. comes to light

At the time, Prevost was not yet a bishop, let alone a pope. He was serving as the global head of the Augustinian order, having spent years as a missionary and church leader in Peru. His ties to Illinois, however, remained rooted: he had been born in Chicago and, according to the message, was staying at a residence owned by his brother in New Lenox, a suburb of the city.