Born in the U.S., forged in Peru, chosen in Rome, Leo XIV will helm a church facing debt, division and decline

Pope Leo XIV gave a homily at a Mass a day after he was chosen to lead the Catholic Church. Here's what the new pontiff said, and what he's up to in the coming days.

The school's students and staff expressed shock and excitement following the recent election of the first-ever American pope.

The Chicago-born pontiff is the first American to lead the Catholic Church, and while his positions on some of the church’s hot-button issues remain unclear, he has signaled continuity with his predecessor, who challenged norms, embraced migrants and the poor, and sought to build an inclusive church.

Pope Leo XIV is now the most powerful American Catholic in the world, and experts say he must aptly walk the line between U.S. politics and his papal duties.

White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney in Vatican City Thursday as the world gathered to watch a new pope take the helm of the Roman Catholic Church. The man who emerged was a surprise to many and a historical first for the faith: Pope Leo XIV will be the first American pope.

ROME — The new Chicago-raised Pope Leo XIV faces an immediate challenge in his native country: taming the brawling U.S. tribe of Catholics, riven by political divisions that have thwarted the will of his predecessors.

Leo XIV vows to work for peace in regions with eastern-rite churches. VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV vowed Wednesday to take “every effort” to work for peace in the Middle East

Robert Prevost has been elected the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church. The Chicago-born missionary took the name Leo XIV.

Live updates and latest news as the first North American pope steps into his role as the new leader of the Catholic Church.

It seems that Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, has previously condemned President Donald Trump’s border policies