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The first-ever American-born pope inherits a world in crisis.
In his first remarks as Pope Leo XIV, Chicago’s Robert Francis Prevost prayed for peace.
He said it nine times during Thursday’s brief address.
“Peace be with you. … This was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave His life for the flock of God,” he said in Italian, explaining his choice of words as he spoke to a crowd and the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. “I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.”
Leo XIV’s vision for the Catholic church is one of “peace and justice” and “building bridges” ready to receive, with open arms, “all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.” A united church must seek “peace, charity, closeness, especially to those who are suffering,” he said.
His urgent message of peace confronts vast suffering and death from brutal wars, simmering tensions among nuclear powers, a long shadow of abuse within a church he now leads, and humanitarian outrage from his home country following three months of chaos under Donald Trump’s administration.
By treaty, the Vatican has exercised neutrality in wars for a century, and the pope is barred from mediating global conflicts unless requested by warring parties. But Leo XIV’s ascent thrusts him into a period of global turmoil, with both worshippers and a growingly secular American public closely watching whether his message will resonate.
Catholics Vote Common Good, an American progressive Catholic activism group, hailed Leo XIV’s election as a “new day for modern American Catholicism.”
The conclave “gave us something we could have only dreamed of,” wrote the group’s national co-chair Denise Murphy McGraw. A pope “who is as committed to social justice as we are — and as was our beloved Pope Francis,” she said.
Leo XIV succeeds Francis, who repeatedly demanded a ceasefire in Gaza and condemned Israel's devastation. Francis also called the Holy Family Church in Gaza every night since the beginning of the war, speaking with church leaders and displaced Palestinians sheltering inside.
A white popemobile built for his 2014 visit to Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is to be transformed into a mobile health clinic to treat Palestinian children, among one of the final missions he blessed in the months before his death on April 21.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that he is looking forward “to enhancing the relationship between Israel and the Holy See, and strengthening the friendship between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land and around the world.”
“May your papacy be one of building bridges and understanding between all faiths and peoples. May we see the immediate and safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza, and a new era of peace in our region and around the world,” he said.
Francis also repeatedly urged for peace in Ukraine and maintained an open line of communication with Kyiv throughout Russia’s ongoing assault. After meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in October 2024, Francis, while not explicitly naming Russia as the aggressor, appealed for “Ukrainians not to be left to freeze to death” and “stop the killing of innocent people.”
“Ukraine deeply values the Holy See’s consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians,” Zelensky wrote following Leo’s election.
“At this decisive moment for our country, we hope for the continued moral and spiritual support of the Vatican in Ukraine’s efforts to restore justice and achieve a lasting peace,” he added.
The papal conclave also selected Leo XIV despite allegations that he had mishandled sexual abuse cases involving priests in both Peru and the United States. Survivors of abuse are now demanding accountability from the new pope and a “grave reckoning” that should follow.
“We were once the children of the church,” reads an open letter from Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent in the moments after Leo XIV’s election.
“The sex offender in the collar commits two crimes: one against the body, and one against the voice,” survivors wrote. “The grand pageantry around your election reminds us: survivors do not carry the same weight in this world as you do.”
Leo XIV also will face a church that “stands on the threshold of a hopeful and inclusive new chapter” for LGBT+ communities, according to GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis.
With his leadership, “there is an extraordinary opportunity to inspire billions around the world and further embrace LGBTQ people with compassion, dignity, and love,” she said.
“He can build on the progress already made and help create a Church that truly reflects the universal message of acceptance and care for all,” she added.
Leo XIV — the “Latin Yankee,” as he is known in Rome — follows the Jesuit legacy of Francis in South America. Francis spent 20 years among Peru’s poorest communities, and was so enamored with the country he became a naturalized citizen there. Leo XIV and Francis, an Argentine who became the Church’s first leader from South America, maintained intimate connections to Latin America and across the global south, and were attuned to the unrest, violence and economic devastation that has fueled instability across continents.
During Trump’s first presidency, Leo XIV shared several posts on social media criticizing the president’s agenda, particularly his actions against refugees, Trump’s “racism and nativism,” and family separation policies.
He reposted a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2017 against Trump’s order halting refugee admissions. Another post mourned America’s descent into an “immoral nation” by abandoning Syrian refugees. He also shared a post saying there is “nothing remotely Christian, American or morally defensible” about Trump-era family separations in immigration cases.
He shared another post from Democratic Senator Chris Murphy in 2017, condemning “cowardice” in Congress to pass gun control after a massacre in Las Vegas.
Leo XIV did not post in 2024, but in 2025 he posted five times — including two posts criticizing Vice President JD Vance for his widely derided views on the concept of Christian love and Trump’s immigration policy.
His most recent post on X shares criticism of Trump’s meeting with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has agreed to detain deported immigrants from the United States in his notorious prison. “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?” the post says.
Trump congratulated Leo shortly after his election, calling the appointment of an American pope and “honor” and saying he looks forward to a meeting that will be a very meaningful moment.”
Vance, who posted his congratulations more than an hour later, wrote: “I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church.”
English (US) ·