Pope Leo’s Service to Poor Propelled Him to Papacy

Pope Leo XIV pledged to align himself with “ordinary people” and against the rich and powerful, and calling for missionary outreach to help heal the “wounds that afflict our society,” the New York Times reports.

“The election of Leo, the first pope born in the United States, represents a singular moment in the history of the American church. But some of the cardinals who elected him said his life of service to the poor in Peru and to the church in senior roles at the Vatican mattered far more in the conclave than his nationality.”