Pope Leo XIV

'Dilexi te' is a forceful call to confront injustices of poverty and inequality—a strong dose of moral clarity at a moment of wanton greed.

Pope Leo XIV’s first exhortation, on love for the poor, is a tribute to Pope Francis and his predecessor’s namesake.

The uproar surrounding Cardinal Cupich’s decision to honor Dick Durbin for his work on immigration reform reveals more about the divisions in the U.S. Church than it does about either man.

It seems there may be a new kind of European Catholicism—one sharing much in common with contemporary American Christianity.

It is remarkable and new, not just that web design was a major part of Carlo Acutis’s life, but that the Catholic Church praised it as an integral aspect of his sanctity.

Leo's election is not only a source of pride for American Catholics—it might also be a much-needed unifying element in the U.S. Church.

Instead of an assembly of men trying to come up with a theology that explains women, I want to see the Church settle on one theology for everyone.

In Christopher White's 'insta-book' on Leo's early papacy, Pope Francis is a central figure. In Matthew Bunson's biography of the new pope, Francis hardly exists.

Fifty years ago, the Helsinki Accords reflected a bipolar world dominated by the U.S. Today, Pope Leo XIV faces a geopolitical environment that is far more unpredictable.

Right-wing attacks on the Catholic Church draw from the antisemitic playbook.

Chicago Catholicism is distinctive and one of its own is now the pope. What might Robert Prevost's South Side upbringing teach us about the man who would become Leo XIV?

The signature achievement of Pope Francis was to reignite the spirit of Vatican II. Pope Leo's signature achievement may be to lead the Church into a ‘post-post-conciliar’ era.

Our increased access to papal personality does not give us increased insight into the papal future.

In the final years of Francis's papacy, Robert Prevost became one of the pontiff's closest collaborators. What clues does their bond hold about Leo's pontificate?

To be Augustinian is to be shaped by a deep sense of both interiority and community. That sense will likely be at the heart of Leo XIV's papacy.

Pope Leo XIV’s choice of papal name is profoundly significant. What might the new pontiff have to say about the social and technological challenges facing us in the 2020s?

Pope Leo met the global Church at Catholic Theological Union.

Pope Leo XIV is his own man. But his election is a sign of continuity—on Vatican II, on Francis, and on synodality.

The papal inauguration of Leo XIV is set to be a global affair that remains in touch with medieval roots.

As Leo XIV's papacy begins, conservative and progressive Catholics alike are bound to experience vindication—and disappointment.

"From where I was standing, the pope was a tiny white speck. That was okay. Having been granted eyes that could really see, I was finally using them in Rome."

Commonweal editors curate a twice-daily roundup of updates about the conclave.

"In this holy chaos, my first feeling was joy. I didn’t know what this new pope portended for the life of the Church, and it didn’t matter."