Political figures around the world have congratulated Robert Francis Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, after his election on Thursday, May 8, as Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Hailing from Chicago and a dual U.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Monday called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the “precious gift of free speech and the press” in an audience with some of the 6,000 journalists who descended on Rome to cover his election as the first American pontiff.

Amid global conflicts, the new pope will need to forge new bonds. Experts say he has the background and the skills that will demonstrate that he's up to the task.

The Catholic office overseeing the Gaza church with which the late Pope Francis communicated daily has shared with Newsweek a message following the selection of a new pontiff in the midst of the ongoing war.

Some conservatives and traditionalist Catholics are cautiously optimistic over the historic election of Pope Leo XIV