Leo XIV — The Pope Who Came in Peace

At the end of the afternoon of May 8, 2025, on the very third ballot of the conclave following the death of Pope Francis, white smoke announced the election of the new pope of the Catholic Church, Robert Francis Prevost, Leo XIV. In the predictions circulating in the preceding days, his name was not among the favorites: for many, it was a surprise to see him appear on the balcony of St. Peter's.

A pontiff, however, destined from the outset to have a place in History: he is the first North American and the first member of the Order of Saint Augustine to ascend to the throne of Peter. Even the choice of name sparked debate, due to the continuity with Leo XIII, who with the encyclical Rerum Novarum, written in 1891, led the Church to address social issues for the first time.

In such sensitive and difficult times for the world — amid ongoing wars, economies in crisis, social conflicts, and difficulties in international dialogue — will Leo XIV be able to open new paths of concord and fraternity? Will he be able to act in favor of the peace so invoked by him in his first speech as pontiff? Will he be able to bring together the progressive and traditionalist wings of the Church? Will he find a way to embrace Francis's legacy and, like him, win a place in the hearts of millions of people?

Domenico Agasso, for years one of the most widely read and respected Vaticanists, has written a complete and engaging biography, leaving nothing out: the life, the ideas, everything that needs to be known about the outsider who became pope.