Pope Leo marked his 71st birthday among the Vatican’s books on September 14, blowing out a candle on a birthday cake during a visit to the Apostolic Library, where he joked that divine providence had brought him there on the special day, as his mother was a librarian. During the morning of his birthday, the Pope also inaugurated a new exhibition, ‘AQVA - Catastrophe and Wonder,’ at the Vatican Apostolic Library. Pope Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, was born in Chicago on September 14, 1955. On May 8, 2025, he was elected to succeed the late Pope Francis, becoming the first U.S. leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church #popeleo #vatican #birthday