Who are Pope Leo XIV's parents and brothers? What to know about Robert Francis Prevost's family

Robert Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025.

According to a report in the BBC, he is the first American to be appointed as a pope, and he will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter. Although he is considered as much a Cardinal from Latin America because of his role as a missionary in Peru.

The 69-year-old was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, per a report in USA Today. His parents are Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez Prevost. His father, Louis, was of French and Italian descent. He was an educator. His mother, Mildred, is of Spanish descent, is a librarian. He has two brothers, Louis Martín Prevost and John Joseph Prevost.

He was ordained in 1982 and also served as an altar boy. After working for a decade in Trujillo, Peru, he was later appointed bishop of Chiclayo, where he served from 2014 to 2023, per CNN World.

Here is what we know about his family.

Everything to know about Pope Leo XIV’s family

According to a report in Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV spent his childhood and adolescence. He studied at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers. He later earned a degree in Mathematics and also studied Philosophy from Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

He received his theological education at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. At the age of 27, he studied Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he was ordained as a priest on June 19, 1982, at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica by Archbishop Jean Jadot.

He was elevated to Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and led the Vatican office. His family, which consists of his parents Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez Prevost and his brothers Louis Martín Prevost and John Joseph Prevost, are known as dedicated and devoted musicians, altar boys, lectors and volunteers at St. Mary’s.

According to Town and Country magazine, Robert Francis Prevost’s mother, Mildred Martinez, was of Spanish descent and worked as a librarian. In 1947, she earned a bachelor’s degree in library science from DePaul University. Two of her sisters were nuns.

A classmate of Pope Leo XIV’s, Marianne Angarola, told the Chicago Sun-Times,

“She was one of the ladies that we called church ladies. They went to Mass on a daily basis. They cleaned the altars, the church, the sacristy. She was involved in everything, including the fundraising activities.”

She passed away in 1990. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, who was of French and Spanish descent, served in the Navy in World War II. According to the Chicago Sun-Times,

“Louis Prevost was the superintendent of the South Suburban schools in District 169. News clippings from 1945 show he served as a Navy lieutenant in the Mediterranean in WWII.”

He had graduated from the old Central Y.M.C.A. College in 1943.

According to a report in ABC News, the newly appointed Pontiff is the youngest of all the siblings. John Joseph Prevost is his middle brother. He told the outlet that he always wanted to be a priest.

“He knew right away. I don't think he's ever questioned it. I don't think he's ever thought of anything else.”

He further added that as a kid, Pope Leo XIV always “played priest” and “the ironing board was the altar.

Louis Martín Prevost is his older brother. When he was asked by the Sarasota ABC affiliate WWSB about his opinion on his brother’s selection as a pope. He said that he was half expecting it and half not, and that he was still in shock.

On Pope’s selection, dozens of people came out to the landmark of St. Mary of Assumption church to celebrate. The Chicago-area residents were also overwhelmed with excitement.

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