Among the names circulating in confidence before the Conclave in the Vatican, as a possible successor to Pope Francis, there is also a figure that stands out in an unexpected but increasingly strong way: that of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
What if an American passport, usually a hurdle in the race for the papal throne, didn't represent an obstacle this time? Prevost, known to all as "Father Bob," could embody exactly the line of continuity with Pope Francis that many cardinals are seeking.
A silent reformer
Born in Chicago in 1955 to a Catholic family of European origin, Prevost is much more than a North American cleric. His long missionary experience in Latin America, especially in Peru, has transformed him into a figure who blurs the geographical and ideological boundaries between the North and the South of the world. For this reason, there are those who consider him almost a voice of the so-called Global South, that Global South that Pope Bergoglio has brought back to the center of the ecclesiastical agenda.
During his stay in Peru, at the head of one of the poorest and most problematic dioceses in the country, Prevost shared the daily life of local communities, learning to read the world and the Church from an “inverted” perspective. It was here that he developed a particular sensitivity to the dynamics of marginalization, migration and inequalities, intuiting the prophetic potential of a Church closer to the less fortunate.
Accusations of the conservative front
Considered one of the most authoritative candidates in the Bergoglian area, Prevost enjoys the support of Latin American and North American cardinals.
But his closeness to Francis has exposed him to attacks from the conservative front. The Spanish website Infovaticana.com has relaunched a dossier accusing him of covering up cases of sexual abuse by priests with whom he collaborated in the past, both in the United States and in Peru.
In particular, two Augustinian priests from Chicago, convicted of child abuse between the 1980s and 1990s, but who remained active for years without internal sanctions within the order, are mentioned. One of the two lived near Prevost for a long time. The Diocese of Chicago later accepted responsibility, offering a formal apology and a settlement of one million dollars. In late 2023, two specialized lawyers filed formal lawsuits against Prevost and Cardinal Cupich for alleged cover-up of the crimes. The Cardinal firmly denies all charges.
In the footsteps of Bergoglio
An Augustinian monk with a reserved character, he was called to Rome by Pope Francis to take on a strategic role: prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. In this key position, he managed hundreds of episcopal appointments, helping to train a new generation of pastors who were more open, less judgmental, and closer to the wounds of the people.
A "forge of reforms" in line with the Bergoglian program, which found in Prevost a loyal and attentive executor.
It is no coincidence that in 2023 he was the protagonist of a delicate mediation between the Vatican and the German Church during the controversial German synodal process, when the project of creating an autonomous synodal committee, considered too radical by Rome, came to the fore. Prevost, together with Cardinal Parolin, managed a potentially explosive situation with prudence and determination, demonstrating political skill and ecclesiastical vision.
Today, his name appears as a possible "back-up card" if the more accredited candidates fail to find a majority. But it is precisely in this marginal position that its strength may be hidden: that of representing an unprecedented synthesis between the wealthy North and the marginalized South, between the institutional Church and the missionary one, between continuity and change.
If the next Conclave were looking for a bridge, rather than a clear successor, Robert Prevost might be the man. A silent but very strong bridge. (A2 Televizion)
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