A Pope for the 21st Century

The election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV, on May 8, 2025, was greeted the world over with nearly universal acclaim. Pope Leo XIV, born on Chicago’s South Side, is the Church’s first American pope and has since greeted delighted crowds by wearing a Chicago White Sox cap to an audience and signed baseballs for the faithful. It is not unusual for a pope to be popular, as he is, according to the Church’s own understanding, “the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful” (Lumen Gentium §23). Read Full Article »