Signs of Departure

Eight months after his election, having completed his first trip abroad, Pope Leo XIV has given us a pretty good sense of his theological and political visions and his fundamental continuities with Pope Francis. But he has also shown signs of departure from his predecessor, especially in how he governs the Vatican and the Curia. This has always been an important factor when it comes to understanding a pope—but given Francis’s personal governing style and Leo’s U.S. roots, it takes on even greater significance.