Father Robert Prevost first arrived in Peru in 1985 during a time of crisis, the aftermath of devastating El Niño rains that had left thousands of people homeless.

“I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.

Pope Leo XIV’s devotion to St. Augustine, his life and ministry as a member of the Augustinian order and his focus on the unity of the church are reflected in his episcopal motto and coat of arms.

In a letter to Rabbi Noam Marans of the American Jewish Committee, Pope Leo XIV expressed his intention to strengthen Catholic-Jewish relations.

An early signal that Leo XIV will build upon Pope Francis’ advocacy for immigrants could show that the church’s efforts are not tied to one pope but to 2,000 years of Catholic teaching.

I listened to Pope Leo’s first messages with Augustinian ears. In his first words from the balcony, and then in his homily at his first Mass, I heard abiding themes from the Doctor of Grace.