Pope Leo XIV today celebrates his 70th birthday, four months after his election as the 267th successor of St Peter.
Pope Leo is the first Pope to have his 70th birthday during his pontificate since John Paul II, who turned 70 on 18 May 1990 during the twelfth year of his papacy.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago on 14 September 1955, he was raised in a Catholic family with strong European and Hispanic roots. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, was of French and Italian origin, and his mother, Mildred Martínez, was of Spanish descent. He grew up with two brothers, Louis Martin and John Joseph, in a household where the practice of the faith was central.
