Pope Leo XIV navigates transition from identity as Robert Francis Prevost

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, has navigated the transition from his private identity to his public role as the Successor of Peter. Following his election in the Sistine Chapel on May 8, 2025, he chose the name Leo to honor the lineage of Pope Leo XIII and his social doctrine.

The Chicago native has addressed the challenges of this transformation, noting the difficulty of relinquishing a past identity to assume a role that is constant and highly public. This distinction between his private self and his sovereign pontiff identity reflects the historical concept of the ‘king’s two bodies,’ where the papal mission is viewed as distinct from the individual person. While previous popes often used the first-person plural, Leo XIV has occasionally spoken of himself in the third person when addressing crowds.