A year of firsts
Memorable moments since Pope Leo XIV's 2025 election as pontiff
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV stands on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time May 8, 2025, in The Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV, left, meets with U.s. secretary of state Marco Rubio on May 7 during a private audience at the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV gives a message during a citywide gathering and Catholic Mass on June 14, 2025, at Rate Field in Chicago.
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Shortly after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney last year, the announcement from 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 rose to lead an estimated 1.4 billion Catholics around the globe.
In his first year as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV advocated for migrants and the poor while developing a powerful voice of opposition against President Donald Trump, challenging the administration's harsh immigration crackdown to condemning the U.S.-Israel-led war in Iran. He also maintained strong ties to Chicago.
Here are 10 milestone moments from the first year of Leo's historic pontificate:
1 Initial words
In his May 8, 2025, debut as pontiff, the newly elected pope stepped out onto the loggia of St. Peter's and urged humanity to seek dialogue, build bridges and work toward unity.
"Peace be with you all," the longtime Peruvian missionary and Augustinian friar proclaimed to cheers from the crowd filling the square below.
2 Inauguration
Many Chicago-area Catholics and friends of Pope Leo flocked to the Vatican to witness his May 18, 2025, inaugural Mass, which marked the official start of his ministry as the 267th pontiff.
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 General audience
Riding in the iconic popemobile, Pope Leo traversed St. Peter's Square, pausing to bless or kiss the occasional baby during his first general audience on May 21, 2025, a typically once-aweek 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.
4 Hometown message
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," he said in a prerecorded message from the Holy See.
Attendance at the Mass, hosted by the Archdiocese of Chicago, was among the highest in archdiocesan history.
5 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 emigrated 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 Major document
In October, Pope Leo, 70, released the apostolic exhortation "Dilexi te," which stressed the church's obligation to care for the poor.
It 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 White House's hard-line stance.
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 said, "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."
Durbin declined the award. The Holy Father encouraged Chicago labor union leaders to continue supporting immigrants during an October meeting in Rome.
In November, Leo offered a more scathing reproach of the Trump administration in decrying the inhumane and "extremely disrespectful" treatment of migrants in the U.S.
8 Foreign trip
From late November to early December, Leo traveled to Turkey and Lebanon on his first foreign trip as pontiff to promote interfaith dialogue and peace in the Middle East.
9 Key appointment
Pope Leo in December appointed Joliet, Illinois, Bishop Ronald Hicks as archbishop of New York, signifying a move to a more pastoral and missionary-inspired leadership in one of the largest archdioceses in the nation. Hicks grew up in South Holland, Illinois, about 14 blocks from Leo's childhood home.
The newest U.S. archbishop, formally installed in New York in February, also expressed concerns about federal immigration enforcement and a commitment to advocating for migrants, views in line with those of the pope.
10 Trump 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.
The acrimony hit a fever pitch over the 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 the lengthy rant. "It's hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it's hurting the Catholic Church!"
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 war began with Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
"I have no fear of the Trump administration," the pope said, "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."
