Description: The Conclave comprised of 133 cardinals chose the little-known Robert Prevost to succeed Francis as the next pontiff of the Catholic Church. Prevost, a US citizen from Chicago with a dual Peruvian citizenship was mostly known to have aligned with his predecessor’s prospects regarding the direction and the impact the Catholic Church should have on global issues. He was a missionary in Peru in 1985 before returning to the US in 1999 when he took a leadership role within his religious order. Prevost served two six-year terms as the head of the Augustinians before becoming a cardinal in 2023. Little to no insight is offered regarding the American successor on the throne to the Catholic Church, however, many of his followers have predicted that he would follow his predecessor’s footsteps in pioneering social justice, peace, equality and would campaign the Church’s sex abuse prosecution.
Impact: The mysterious conclave election of Robert Prevost resulted in mixed signals of acceptance and confusion as the next pontiff would face upscaling challenges in succeeding the largely respected Francis. The Vatican has historically been overshadowed by mystery, controversies and incidents which contributed towards the downsizing of soft power influence by the Catholic Church globally. The new pontiff has been praised for his missionary impact in Peru and labeled as a just and invested proclaimer of peace and justice which indicates on gradual succession in the late Francis’ steps. In a world shaped by global power struggles, humanitarian crises and numerous wars, the new pontiff is expected to campaign humanitarian values and raise the level of influence the Vatican exercises on global issues.