New pope's deliberate decision to identify with Peru in particular and the Global South generally is no accident

His ancestry, traced to a historic enclave of Afro-Caribbean culture, links Leo XIV to the rich and sometimes overlooked Black Catholic experience in America.

He later spent two decades carrying out missionary work in Peru before Pope Francis called him back ... Leo insisted that his identity remained rooted in service. “My vocation, like that of ...

The new Pope has chosen Leo XIV as his papal name. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the new Pope, the Vatican has announced, as cheers erupted from the crowd. He is the first American Pope to be elected.

ROME – The surprising election of the first American pope felt fraught and ... the most fundamental part of Leo’s identity may not be either his American or his Peruvian nationality, argued ...

The original Pope Leo, known as “Leo the Great,” who served in the fifth century, left an equally powerful legacy. He is remembered for persuading Attila the Hun to halt his invasion, thereby sparing Rome from destruction. This diplomatic feat suggests Prevost may see himself as a potential bridge-builder in an era of global conflict and division.

The revelation that Leo XIV has roots among New Orleans Creoles has stirred curiosity and joy about the first pope from the United States.