Pope Leo XIV concluded his first trip to Africa April 23, capping a four-country visit marked by urgent calls for peace, direct engagement with conflict zones and a backdrop of international political tension.

On his last day in Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV reminded Catholics in the country to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments.

Why would the president of the United States pick a fight with the pope?

Amid what it called “a moment of heightened tension” in the U.S. and the world, the National Eucharistic Congress said its use of the phrase “one nation under God” is “not about political statements, but about spiritual renewal.”

President Donald Trump participated April 21 in an event called “America Reads the Bible,” speaking by prerecorded video message to read from Scripture.

Pope Leo XIV arrived April 21 in Equatorial Guinea, the fourth and final country of his 11-day apostolic journey in Africa, where the pope met the country’s longtime ruler and urged the country’s civil authorities to choose justice over power, quoting St. Augustine’s “City of God.”

On the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, Pope Leo XIV praised his predecessor’s “courageous witness” as “a significant heritage for the Church.”

Flying over the west coast of central Africa on April 21, Pope Leo XIV paused to honor his predecessor on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, remembering the Argentine pope’s witness to mercy and closeness to the poor.

One year ago today, Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m., April 21, 2025.

As the one-year anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s election to the papacy approaches, here is a selection of 12 quotes from the new pontiff on various topics, looking back over the 12 months since he became pope May 8, 2025.