Analysis of the 2025 Conclave: Robert Francis Prevost's Election as Pope Leo XIV (legrandcontinent.eu)

• Prevost, an Augustinian with 20 years in Peru, was elected despite the initial impossibility of a US pope.
• The conclave lasted less than 24 hours; Prevost received over 100 votes by the fourth ballot.
• Leo XIV rejects just war theory and criticizes the Trump administration's co-optation of Christianity.

"The election of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV in May 2025 was unexpected given the political weight of a U.S. pope. The article analyzes how Prevost's networks, Augustinian tradition, and geopolitical context enabled his election. His biography—20 years as a missionary in Peru—allowed him to be an internal critic of Trump's imperialism. The new pope positions himself against the Trump administration's instrumentalization of Christianity, particularly against the 'just war' theory. The election was also a response to Trump's AI-generated image of himself as pope, which backfired."