Pope Leo XIV holds his first general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, issuing an appeal for Gaza, which he calls an “increasingly worrying and painful” situation, harming children, elderly, and the sick in particular.

Pope Leo XIV will preside over his inaugural mass today in front of St Peter’s Basilica, which marks the formal start of his papacy. JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are attending.

A formal Mass to mark the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV will take place on May 18 in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican announced the day after stunning the world with the election of the first pope from the United States in the Church's history.

The Trump administration seeks to improve ties by working with Pope Leo XIV on ending the Ukraine war and de-emphasizing disagreements over U.S. migrant policy.

A resident of Will County in suburban Chicago, the new pontiff voted numerous times — most recently in the 2024 presidential election via absentee ballot. He has also voted in Republican primaries, but did not vote in 2020 or 2022.

Pope Leo XIV met with faith leaders at the Vatican on Monday, emphasizing his commitment to continue Pope Francis’ legacy on synodality in relation to ecumenical dialogue.

Among the powerful figures in the crowd? King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, Queen Mathilde and King Philippe of Belgium, JD and Usha Vance, and more.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A quiet alliance between North and South American cardinals helped elect the first US-born pope.