Averting a financial crisis “will rank among most pressing issues for the new pontiff,” says Charles Gillespie, PhD, professor at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American to head the global Catholic Church, pledged on Wednesday to make "every effort" for peace and offered the Vatican as a mediator in global conflicts, saying war was "never inevitable".

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.

Live updates and latest news as the first North American pope steps into his role as the new leader of the Catholic Church.

The contrast between President Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV couldn’t be more stark, politically, personally, or in their world views.

The U.S. is one of only a handful of countries that taxes citizens living abroad. Thus, thanks to his American passport, the 69-year-old Chicago-born pope, known until last week as Robert Prevost, will likely need to file a tax return to the U.S. government just like any other citizen, experts told Fortune.

Abuse watchdog groups have expressed concern, but Leo has been lauded by other survivors for his handling of abuse.

Pope Leo XIV had a simple response when NewsNation correspondent Robert Sherman asked if he had a message for the United States on Monday, May 12