Top Photo: Official portrait of Pope Leo XIV. Credit: Vatican Media

On May 8, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first US-born pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. After a new pope is elected, his first act is to choose a new name.

Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago in 1955, and his family has deep roots in Louisiana with Haitian and Creole ancestry. He graduated from Villanova University in Pennsylvania with a mathematics degree before studying theology. He earned a Master’s of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

When Prevost was 27, he went to Rome to study. He was ordained as a priest in 1982. He also earned a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

After being ordained, Prevost went to work as a missionary in Peru. He returned to the United States for a few years before returning to work in Peru. While there, he ran an Augustinian seminary in Trujillo.

Not only did he spend most of his career in Peru, Prevost also holds dual citizenship there.

Pope Leo is notable not only for being the first pope born in the United States, but also for being the first Augustinian friar to lead the church. The Order of St. Augustine, which dates back to 1244, says it has 2,800 members across 47 countries.

In 2014, Prevost was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru. He became a bishop a year later, and he was made a cardinal in 2023 by Pope Francis.

Pope Leo is 69 years old and is now the 267th pope. In his first words as pope, he spoke from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, paying tribute to the late Pope Francis and emphasizing peace, dialogue and missionary work. He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, though he did not speak in English. He addressed tens of thousands of cheering Catholics and onlookers by saying, “Peace be with you all.”

Fan Fusion Has Cosmic Fun for Everyone!

Fan Fusion is going to be BIG this year. You might even say it will be cosmic! If you want to see or meet actors from Star Wars (like C-3PO or Anakin Skywalker) or the Lord of the Rings, wear your best cosplay ’fit and head to the Phoenix Convention June 6–8. It’s time to “discover your inner geek!”

Kids of all ages can dress up as their favorite characters and get the chance to mingle with fans who share their love of comics, superheroes, sci-fi and more! This year, Sunset and Meteor’s Cosmic Academy and the carnival area will be bigger and better than ever, according to Robert Graham, director of events & activities for Fan Fusion.

“We have our Cosmic Academy which is our space camp,” says Graham. “We had it last year, but we really have beefed up the content.” He says this year’s youth area has an interactive space that will let kids see what they would weigh on another planet, gives them access to a mission control board to play with and more amazing hands-on fun. 

The youth area at Fan Fusion will feature out-of-this-world talks with STEM experts in a variety of fields. Kids can learn about the moon and Mars, get details from droid designers, and even learn the science of music. As in years past, there’ll be Quidditch with ASU, Padawan Lightsaber Training, the LEGO Lounge (plus LEGO racing and building contests), the Pokémon center, art stations and more fun.

The carnival area is bigger and will be open later this year, says Graham. He notes that the arcade area will feature “sidekick” skirmishes—competitions for kids only, including a Mario Kart tourney for kids 12

and under.

Star Wars fans, take a walk on the dark side (or the droid side.) Actors Hayden Christensen and Anthony Andrews will be in attendance. “I think Hayden Christensen is the most exciting guest that we have this year. We have quite a few guests (including) the Hobbits from Lord of the Rings,” says Graham. He notes that many voice actors and guests who have not been at Fan Fusion before will be visiting in 2025.