Cardinal Robert Prevost, once a missionary and teacher, has been elected pope in a swift and secretive conclave that concluded within just 24 hours earlier this month.
Now known as Pope Leo XIV, he becomes the first American to hold the highest office in the Catholic Church. His papacy begins during a time of shifting global dynamics, particularly as the influence of the U.S. on international organizations is being challenged amid policies championed by the Trump administration.
From the outset of his papal tenure, Leo XIV has made it clear that his mission will center on the pursuit of peace. In his first public address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica following his election, he greeted the crowd with the words, “Peace be with you all.” He later declared that “it is the peacemakers that make history” and offered the Vatican’s services as a neutral ground for mediation in international conflicts, including efforts to help bring peace to war-torn Ukraine. He emphasized that “war is never inevitable.”
On Sunday, prior to his formal inauguration ceremony, Leo spent an hour greeting the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, riding through the crowd in his open-topped popemobile. Surrounded by a dozen security guards and heavy surveillance—including overhead helicopters and sharpshooters stationed on nearby rooftops—Leo smiled, waved at onlookers, and paused frequently to bless children.
During his inaugural homily, he laid out the vision for his pontificate, urging for unity and reconciliation in a world marked by division. He lamented “discord, hatred, violence, prejudice, and an economic model that depletes the Earth and sidelines the poor,” and called for collective action among Christians, other world faiths, and “all people of goodwill” to forge “a new world where peace reigns.”
The ceremonial proceedings included traditional gestures of loyalty, with cardinals lining up to kiss the pope’s hand and swear allegiance. Pope Leo received two symbolic items: the pallium, a woolen vestment representing his pastoral leadership, and the Fisherman’s Ring, featuring St. Peter holding the keys to heaven—an emblem of papal authority.
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