OH SR304

Ohio Senate Resolution honors Pope Leo XIV (Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost), elected May 8, 2025, as the 267th Pope and first American and first from the Augustinian order

Born September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois; earned bachelor's degree in mathematics from Villanova University and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome

Served extensively in Peru from 1985-2023 as missionary, parish priest, professor, and Bishop of Chiclayo; twice elected Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine (2001-2013)

Issued first Apostolic Exhortation "Dilexi te" (on Love for the Poor) on October 4, 2025, and held first-ever papal live stream with 16,000 youth at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis on October 21, 2025

Resolution directs the Clerk of the Senate to transmit an authenticated copy to Pope Leo XIV; notes Ohio is home to over 2 million Catholics, 703 parishes, and 363 Catholic schools educating 114,000 students