The unpublished photo of Francis with the new Pope Leo XIV, taken in Argentina in 2004; this is the story.

Robert Francis Prevost, 69, became Pope Francis' successor on Thursday, May 8, and the first American pontiff with Peruvian nationality in history.

Since then, the world of social media has been filled with never-before-seen images of the new Pope's career.

In this context, a photograph was recently leaked of Francis accompanied by the new Supreme Pontiff, Leo XIV.

The photograph shows the joint presence of Prevost and Bergoglio at a Eucharistic Mass held at the Parish of San Agustín, in Recoleta.

At the time described, the current Supreme Pontiff served as bishop and superior of his original order, while also serving as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

So far, it is known that the image was taken in 2004, the year in which Leo XIV traveled to Argentina to participate in various activities , including the inauguration of the Augustinian Library. Monsignor Mario Poli , who would later be named Archbishop of Buenos Aires , was one of the Argentine Church authorities who was present with him.

Affable, moderate, reserved, the American cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, since this Thursday Pope Leo XIV, was one of the big bets of Francis , who appointed him responsible for the bishops of the whole world and of his commission for Latin America , given that he also has Peruvian nationality and has Spanish origins on his mother's side, Mildred Martínez, as Vatican media have highlighted.

This missionary of the ancient Order of Saint Augustine has been a close collaborator of the late Pope Francis in recent years and quietly made his way onto the list of papal candidates for this conclave, as an outsider amid other big names.

His moderate approach positions him as a bridge between the conservative and reformist factions of the Church , and his vast knowledge of America has earned him the support of cardinals from both the south and north of the continent.

Prevost was born in 1955 in Chicago (USA), with French and Italian ancestry on his father's side. His ecclesiastical career began at the Augustinian novitiate in Saint Louis, where he took his vows in 1981. This was followed by studies in theology and a youthful trip to Rome to study canon law.

After being ordained a priest in 1982, at the age of 28, he was immediately sent to what would become his second country : Peru, through his mission in Chulucanas, Piura (1985-1986).

This would be the first step in a long journey in Latin America that continued in 1988 in the Peruvian mission of Trujillo, selecting Augustinian vocations in cities such as Chulucanas , Iquitos and Apurímac and exercising other roles for a decade in that archdiocese.

His papal election is a novelty not only because he is considered a young cardinal but also because he becomes the first pope from the heart of a powerful empire, the United States.

During his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel, the new pope addressed the cardinals with some curious words. Leo XIV stated that they had "called him to carry a cross and to be blessed with this mission," while asking them to "walk" at his side.

"You have called me to carry a cross and to be blessed with this mission, and I want you to walk with me because we are the Church , a community that must proclaim the Good News," the American pope said in English.

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