Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S. pope, descends from Creole and free people of color in Louisiana, highlighting complex issues to race and class in American history.

I met the man who would become Pope Leo XIV in October 2023. We were standing outside the Vatican’s Synod Hall, and from my short conversation with Cardinal Robert Prevost, I could tell he was a good listener,

Political figures around the world have congratulated Robert Francis Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, after his election on Thursday, May 8, as Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Hailing from Chicago and a dual U.

The contrast between President Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV couldn’t be more stark, politically, personally, or in their world views.

Cardinal Robert Prevost has been announced as the new pontiff and has chosen the name Pope Leo XIV. There are no written rules or official criteria for a pope's name, but they choose names that have meaning in the Catholic tradition.

The pontiff, who was elected in a conclave that ended last Thursday, will be officially installed as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics at a mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.

After celebrating his first Mass as pope, Leo XIV is slated to have a full schedule in the coming days. His next engagement is expected to be a May 10 meeting with cardinals. He'll then have midday prayers on May 11 from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

Pope Leo XIV has broken the seal on the papal apartments, marking one of his first major symbolic moments as pontiff