He had yet to rise to the rank of Bishop, Vatican hierarch, and global leader of Catholicism, but the now Pope Leo XIV visited Costa Rica. The General Directorate of Immigration and Foreign Affairs confirmed that Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, the new pontiff’s given name, made a brief visit in 2012.
Prevost arrived with his U.S. passport and entered on January 5, 2012. He left two days later, on January 7 of the same year. His visit coincided with a regional visit he was making as part of the Augustinian Order, to which he belongs.
Sharing the table
Pope Leo XIV’s other connection in recent years came through the Bishop of Limón, Javier Román. Both participated in the Synod in Rome and shared duties. According to Román, between 2023 and 2024 they were part of the Spanish-speaking panel at the religious gathering. He describes him as “a very thoughtful, very quiet person.” Despite this, he highlights the quality of his interventions. “His reflections were excellent, I remember them very well,” he explained.
The Apostolic Nuncio, Mark Gerard Miles, recounted that a few months ago, before taking office as the Vatican’s ambassador to the country, he met with Prevost. “In our conversation, I can say that he was very interested in Costa Rica,” he said. This motivation, he said, can already be considered an “indirect blessing.”
Pope Leo XIV with a Latin streak
Although he was not among the favorites, Robert Francis Prevost needed four votes to be elected as the new Pope. The white smoke from the Sistine Chapel confirmed the news this past Thursday, closing a two-day conclave.
Leo XIV was born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, the first American to hold the office. He is of European descent, as his father is of French origin and his mother is Spanish.
He trained as a priest in the Augustinian Order. He also holds a degree in Mathematics and a minor in Philosophy. He also holds a Master of Divinity and a degree in Canon Law.
Except for a brief period in the state of Illinois, Leo XIV’s work has been linked to Peru. He arrived in the 1980s, rising as a missionary, religious, and Bishop of Chiclayo in 2014. He also adopted Peruvian nationality in 2015.
In recent years, he had moved to the Dicastery of Bishops, a role similar to a Vatican ministry charged with local church leadership. Another fact is that he is fluent in several languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, in addition to reading Latin and German.
