Following the death of Pope Francis on 21st April 2025, Robert Francis Prevost, originally from Chicago, was elected the new head of the Roman Catholic Church on 8th May 2025. Under the papal name Leo XIV, he is the first pontiff from the US and, as he also holds Peruvian citizenship, the first pope from Peru.

We can't wait to find out which country will mint the first coins in his honor and when the Vatican will release its first set. Since Pope Francis requested in 2017 that his portrait no longer appear on coins, it remains to be seen whether Leo XIV will continue this new tradition.