Pope Leo's grandfather was born in Italy in 1876 and came to the United States in 1905, eventually making his way to Chicago. His grandson took the opposite route, starting in Chicago and moving to Italy.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, said he expects Pope Leo XIV "feels an obligation," to speak to what he called the issues of the day, amid "real challenges globally."

Chicagoans celebrated the historic election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the U.S. and a Chicago native, with joy and hope for a renewed focus on social justice and unity within the Catholic Church.

The key to synodality, Bishop Marín emphasized, is not ideological or political but theological and ecclesial.

A tribute to Pope Leo XIV is displayed before a White Sox game inside the Rate Field baseball stadium in Chicago May 9. The screen incorrectly stated that Leo is the 268th pope (he is the 267th). (OSV News/Carlos Osorio,

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope from Chicago, could boost interest in the Catholic Church, potentially increasing religious attendance in the U.S.

Chicagoans in Rome this weekend who knew the former Robert Prevost during his religious studies on the South Side and work in Peru say he will lead the Catholic Church "with a deep sensitivity for people who are the most suffering,