Pope Leo XIV: Background, Election, and Beginning of His Papacy

Abstract: This article aims to present an initial analysis of the significance of the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States but also the first Latin American pope without close European roots, in the contemporary ecclesial and global context. The article begins with a presentation of the pan-American, global, and Roman cursus honorum of Leo XIV, and then proceeds to identify some of the specificities of Leo XIV as a pope from the Order of St. Augustine. Finally, the article discusses some key events and speech in the first months of Leo's pontificate, especially in relation to the present moment in the history of US Catholicism.