Father Dal Bianco grew up in Llamellin and was ordained three years ago for the Diocese of Huarí. Now associate pastor of Our Lady of Fatima in Baltimore, he recalls brief encounters with then-Bishop Robert Prevost, the missionary from Chicago who led the Diocese of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023, before becoming head of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome.

Both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV on May 18, the vice president’s office said.

Teaching should be lived as ministry and mission, Pope Leo XIV told the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle Brothers or the Christian Brothers.

While in Rome for the tournament May 14, the world’s highest-ranked tennis player walked into the halls of the Vatican and met with Pope Leo XIV, who proved to be a well-informed spectator of the young champion.

During a meeting with Eastern Catholics, many of whom come from war-torn regions of the world, Pope Leo XIV pledged the Vatican’s full commitment to promoting peace and reconciliation.

The importance of continuity and diversity as well as the issues of war and peace were a main topic of conversation for the 133 cardinals as they gathered to vote in the conclave May 7-8, said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.

Cardinal Michael Czerny said that when Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was elected pope and chose the name Leo XIV, “I rejoiced, I really rejoiced.”

A New Orleans genealogist has found that the first U.S.-born pope has Black and Creole roots — and the discovery illuminates the nation’s rich multiracial history, the experience of Black Catholics and the importance of the church’s sacramental records.

As details of Pope Leo’s past life come to light one thing, many are struck by his Chicago roots and his Chicago-ness.

One thing seemed clear from the moment Pope Leo stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: He was not another Pope Francis — or another Pope Benedict XVI or St. John Paul II. He intended to do things his own way.