Pope Leo XIV: 10 poignant moments from his historic first year

Shortly after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney, the May 8 announcement from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican rocked the world: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost - born in Chicago and raised in south suburban Dolton - became the first American pope in the church's 2,000-year history.

The Chicago area rejoiced at the news that one of their own, known to many locals simply as "Father Bob," had risen to lead an estimated 1.4 billion Catholics around the globe.

In his first year as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV has advocated for migrants and the poor while developing a powerful voice of opposition against President Donald Trump, from challenging the administration's harsh immigration crackdown to more recently condemning the U.S.-Israel-led war in Iran.

All the while, he has maintained strong ties to Chicago, meeting with a litany of locals in recent months while forging a special connection between the city of his birth and the Vatican.

As the first year of of Pope Leo XIV's historic pontificate comes to a close, here are 10 milestone moments from the Chicago native's nascent papacy:

1. First words to the world

Newly elected Pope Leo stepped out onto the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on May 8 and, in his debut as pontiff, urged humanity to seek dialogue, build bridges and work toward unity.

"Peace be with you all," proclaimed the longtime Peruvian missionary and Augustinian friar to cheers from the crowd filling St. Peter's Square below.

2. The inauguration

Many Chicago-area friends of Pope Leo and local Catholic faithful flocked to the Vatican to witness his May 18 inaugural Mass, which marked the official start of his ministry as the 267th pontiff.

A litany of international dignitaries and faith leaders joined the celebration at St. Peter's Square, where Leo received the official symbols of the papacy including the Fisherman's Ring, which represents the pope's connection to St. Peter, and the pallium, a liturgical vestment of wool symbolizing the Holy Father's role as shepherd.

The pope's brother, Louis Prevost, also attended as a guest of Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert who led an American delegation to the ceremony.

3. First general audience

Riding in the iconic popemobile, Pope Leo traversed the cobblestone ground of St. Peter's Square, pausing to bless or kiss the occasional baby during his first general audience on May 21, a typically once-a-week formal program where Vatican pilgrims and visitors can see and pray with the pope.

During his address, the Holy Father called for humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza and deplored the violence in the Middle East, mirroring similar appeals made in the past by his predecessor, Pope Francis.

4. Virtual message to his hometown

Thousands attended a June 14 Mass and celebration honoring Pope Leo at Rate Field, home ballpark of the pontiff's beloved White Sox.

From the giant scoreboard screen, the smiling image of the Holy Father loomed above the stadium seats.

"Discover how important it is for each one of us to pay attention to the presence of God in our own hearts," the pontiff said during a pre-recorded message from the Holy See.

Attendance at the Mass, hosted by the Archdiocese of Chicago, was among the highest in archdiocesan history - though surpassed by the famed 1979 Mass in Grant Park celebrated by Pope John Paul II, the only pontiff to come to Chicago.

The Chicago White Sox had previously unveiled an art installation at the stadium near Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2, where Prevost watched Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, a tribute to the pope's love of the team.

5. Launching the Vatican's seminal ecological project

In September, Pope Leo formally inaugurated the Borgo Laudato Si', a 135-acre experiment in sustainable farming and environmental education on the grounds of the papal summer estate.

The initiative is run by the Rev. Manuel Dorantes, a longtime Archdiocese of Chicago priest who immigrated from Mexico to north suburban Waukegan as a child. Famed Chicago restaurateurs Phil Stefani and Art Smith, former private chef to media mogul Oprah Winfrey, plan to develop and lead the site's first restaurant.

6. First major document

In October, 70-year-old Pope Leo released the apostolic exhortation "Dilexi te," which stressed the church's obligation to care for the poor.

The text stressed that, "the Almighty will not be outdone in generosity to those who serve the people most in need: the greater the love for the poor, the greater the reward from God."

7. Immigration showdown

Throughout the fall, as Trump's immigration crackdown gripped much of the Chicago area in terror, Pope Leo decried the mistreatment of migrants as well as the hard-line stance of the White House.

In September, numerous American bishops and anti-abortion groups condemned Cardinal Blase Cupich's choice to honor Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for his work on immigration, citing the lawmaker's support of abortion rights. When asked to weigh in on the dispute, Leo challenged an often narrow definition of what it means to be "pro-life."

"Someone who says I am against abortion, but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don't know if that's pro-life," he said.

Durbin, though, declined the award.

The Holy Father encouraged Chicago labor union leaders to continue supporting immigrants during an October meeting in Rome, at the height of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign in the Chicago area.

Then in November, Leo offered a more scathing reproach of the Trump administration in decrying the inhumane and "extremely disrespectful" treatment of migrants in the United States.

8. First foreign trip

From late November to early December, Leo traveled to Turkey and Lebanon to promote interfaith dialogue as well as peace in the Middle East.

9. A key appointment - and a cultural shift

Pope Leo in December appointed Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks as archbishop of New York, signifying a move to a more pastoral and missionary-inspired leadership in one of the largest archdiocese in the nation.

Hicks, who grew up in South Holland about 14 blocks from Leo's childhood home, has noted that they would have gone swimming in the same public pool and played baseball on the same park fields.

The newest U.S. archbishop, who was formally installed in New York in February, has also expressed concerns about federal immigration enforcement and a commitment to advocating for migrants, views in line with those of the pope.

10. White House-Vatican feud

The fractures over U.S. immigration tactics soon overflowed into foreign policy, with Leo chastising the Trump administration over its attempt to bypass European powers in tackling the war in Ukraine as well as expressing deep concern for Venezuelan sovereignty following the January U.S. military capture of President Nicolas Maduro Moros.

The acrimony recently hit a fever pitch over the ongoing U.S. war in Iran, with Leo calling the conflict "atrocious" and urging Trump to find an "off-ramp" to the violence.

Trump responded with a scathing April social media post, marking an unprecedented personal attack on a pope by a U.S. president.

"Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician," Trump said in a lengthy rant on his Truth Social page. "It's hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it's hurting the Catholic Church!"

Yet a recent Economist/YouGov Poll found more Americans support the pope compared to Trump in the wake of the feud, with 40% expressing a favorable view of the president compared to 55% of those surveyed who backed the pope.

"Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue," Leo said the day after the Iran war's Feb. 28 inception.

The vast majority of Americans agreed, with 73% favoring diplomacy and 64% supporting the appeal to "stop the spiral of violence," according to the survey, which was released on April 21.

"I have no fear of the Trump administration," the pope said a few weeks ago, "or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do."

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 11:04 AM.