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Pope Leo XIV conducts Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican
Image: Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media/REUTERS

Pope Leo XIV

Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost was elected as head of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025, succeeding the late Pope Francis. He is the first pope to hold US citizenship. Pope Leo XIV is also a national of Peru.

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All Content on this topic

Pope Francis

Pope asks oil leaders to address climate change

After a two-day conference at the Vatican, the Pope called on oil executives to help the world convert to clean energy.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 9, 2018
Pope Francis celebrates the Corpus Domini mass in front of the parish of Santa Monica in Ostia, Rome

Pope blocks German bishops' Communion plan

German bishops wanted to ease restrictions on allowing Protestants married to Catholics to receive Catholic Communion.
ReligionJune 6, 2018
Pope Francis in Ostia

Pope tells 'mafia capital' to stop fearing mobsters

Speaking in Ostia, a suburb of Rome, Francis urged residents to stop the silence that has terrorized the community.
CrimeJune 3, 2018
Pope Francis

Pope expresses 'shame' to Chileans over sexual abuse

Pope Francis has vowed that the crimes of the priest Fernando Karadima will never be repeated.
ReligionMay 31, 2018
Pope Francis meets with Chilean priests at the Vatican

Chile: Priests linked to abuse scandal dismissed

Reports that several priests in Chile covered up cases of child abuse have rocked Pope Francis' papacy.
CrimeMay 23, 2018
Joseph Coutts with Pope Francis at the Vatican

Christian persecution: Pope nominates Pakistan cardinal

Archbishop of Karachi Joseph Coutts talks to DW about the plight of the minority Christian community in Pakistan.
SocietyMay 22, 2018
Pope Francis announces the naming of the cardinals

Pope Francis to nominate 14 new cardinals

Pope Francis made the surprise announcement in front of pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square.
ReligionMay 20, 2018
Devotees hold a portrait of late Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador Oscar Romero

El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero to be made saint

Murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador is to be made a saint together with a German nun and Pope Paul VI.
ReligionMay 19, 2018
Vatikan Papst Franziskus & Bischöfe aus Chile

Chile's bishops offer to resign over child abuse

In an unprecedented move, all 34 Chilean bishops offered their resignations to Pope Francis over a sex abuse cover-up.
CrimeMay 18, 2018
Wim Wenders and the pope

Up close with Pope Francis in Wim Wenders' film at Cannes

The famous German director didn't want to make a film about Pope Francis — he wanted to make a film with him.
CultureMay 14, 2018
The back of Pope Francis' head

Canadian MPs vote for papal apology on child abuse

For more than a century, the church ran boarding schools that stripped aboriginal children of their idenities.
PoliticsMay 2, 2018
James Hamilton

Pope offers abuse victims 'regret and humility'

One of Chile's sex abuse victims told DW he hopes major reforms will follow this important encounter at the Vatican.
SocietyApril 28, 2018
Italian gelato

Pope Francis celebrates name day with gelati

Pope Francis is sharing 3,000 gelati ice creams with Rome's homeless as he celebrates his saint's name day.
SocietyApril 23, 2018
Pope Francis

Pope admits 'mistakes' in Chile sex abuse scandal

To ask their forgiveness, Pope Francis also invited victims whom he had once discredited to visit Rome.
ReligionApril 12, 2018
A boy receives oxygen through a respirator after the alleged chemical gas attack in the rebel-held town of Douma, near Damascus, Syria

EU calls for international response after Syria attack

The EU said evidence points to the use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces against rebels in Douma.
ConflictsApril 8, 2018
Pope Francis celebrating Easter Sunday Mass against a backdrop of flowers in St. Peter's Square

Pope calls for reconciliation in Middle East

Pope Francis has called in his Easter address for an end to "carnage" in Syria and "reconciliation" in the Middle East.
ConflictsApril 1, 2018
Pope Francis speaks into a microphone during the Via Crucis procession

Pope 'ashamed' by state of world

Francis told crowds in Rome on Good Friday that young people would inherit a world "fractured by divisions and wars."
ReligionMarch 31, 2018
Pope Francis washes the feet of prisoners in Rome

Pope Francis: 'Death penalty is neither human nor Christian'

Francis has taken the toughest stance against capital punishment of any pope in the history of the church.
ReligionMarch 30, 2018
Kombobild Präsident Uhuru Kenyatta und Oppositionsführer Raila Odinga (NASA)

AfricaLink on Air - 13 March 2018

UN welcomes Kenyan President Kenyatta and opposition leader Odinga's commitment to work together+++Trump fires Tillerson
PoliticsMarch 13, 201829:57 min
Deutsche Welle Strack Christoph Portrait

5 years of Pope Francis — it's a start

Christoph Strack
Much admired, but also criticized, Francis has already formed a legacy as a "pope of the people," says Christoph Strack.
ReligionMarch 12, 2018
Pope Francis through an ipad

The Catholic Church's Superman?

The first Latin American pontiff made it his mission to tear down walls and is now a theological and political pop star.
ReligionMarch 12, 2018
Pope Francis visit to Trujillo in Peru

5 years of Pope Francis

Pope Francis has been reforming the Catholic Church for five years, earning him both applause and criticism.
ReligionMarch 12, 201810 images
external

'The pope should rethink his China policy'

Joseph Zen, retired Hong Kong cardinal, is against a rapprochement between the Vatican and China. The appointment of bishops has been a thorny issue until now. Governments cannot appoint good bishops, says Zen.
ReligionMarch 8, 201801:18 min
Oscar Romero photo in El Salvador

Paul VI and Archbishop Romero to be made saints

Pope Francis has attributed new miracles to Archbishop Oscar Romero and Paul VI, paving the way for their sainthood.
ReligionMarch 7, 2018
Virgin Mary statues

Pope declares new feast day for Virgin Mary

It is the latest feast day Francis has instituted in the Roman Catholic calendar to honor women involved in Jesus' life.
ReligionMarch 4, 2018
Angelo Caloia, former President of the Vatican Bank, at an undisclosed location in Italy.

Vatican charges ex-banker with €50m embezzlement

The former chief of the Vatican's bank and his 94-year-old lawyer allegedly scraped profits off property sales.
CrimeMarch 3, 2018
US Cardinal Sean O'Malley

Vatican revives sexual abuse panel

The Vatican has renewed its sexual abuse panel amid criticism over how Pope Francis is handling a scandal in Chile.
CrimeFebruary 18, 2018
Deutsche Welle Strack Christoph Portrait

Benedict's game changer

Christoph Strack
By resigning, the pope altered the Vatican — and taught us to face old age with dignity, DW's Christoph Strack writes.
ReligionFebruary 11, 2018
Pope Francis in Peru

Pope knew about sex abuse cover-up, says victim

The sexual abuse victim said "it is a pity to hear him lie" after the pope denied having been presented with evidence.
Law and JusticeFebruary 6, 2018
Pope Francis sitting opposite Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Vatican visit

Turkey's Erdogan meets Pope Francis in Rome

Pope Francis gifted Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan an "angel of peace" during Erdogan's visit to Vatican.
PoliticsFebruary 5, 2018
Erdogan and Pope Francis in 2014

Erdogan at the Vatican: A visit at a difficult time

Turkey's military offensive in Syria is overshadowing the upcoming meeting between Erdogan and the pope.
ReligionFebruary 4, 2018
Christen in China

Pope close to breaking deadlock in spat with China

Pope Francis has decided to accept the legitimacy of seven Catholic bishops appointed by the Chinese government.
PoliticsFebruary 2, 2018
Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna in 2012

Pope sends sex abuse envoy to Chile amid uproar

The Vatican is sending Charles Scicluna, an expert on sex abuse investigations, to Chile over the Juan Barros scandal.
CrimeJanuary 30, 2018
Chile Papst Franziskus zu Besuch

Pope apologizes for sex abuse comments

Pope Francis has apologized to victims for comments made in defending a Chilean bishop facing sex abuse claims.
ReligionJanuary 22, 2018
Pope Francis in Lima

Pope Francis presides over final Mass in Peru

The Mass marked a positive end to a six-day trip to Latin America that saw controversy over clergy abuse.
ReligionJanuary 22, 2018
Erzbischof Sean O'Malley Festivals of Christ Lord

Papal adviser rebukes pope for abuse comments

In a rare move, a cardinal has spoken out over Pope Francis' comments on sexual abuse accusations.
ReligionJanuary 21, 2018
Peru Papst besucht Völker des Amazonasgebiet in Puerto Maldonado

Pontiff decries corruption and destruction of rainforests

Pope Francis has warned against the scourge of corruption and the destruction of rainforests.
ReligionJanuary 20, 2018
Pope Francis in Chile

Pope's comments spark controversy in Chile

In a trip meant to mend the wounds of abuse in Chile, the pope has defended a bishop accused of covering up abuse.
ReligionJanuary 19, 2018
Chile Papst Trauung im Flugzeug | Paula Podest & Carlos Ciufffardi

Pope Francis performs marriage in-flight

Pope Francis marries flight attendants on papal plane over Chile in impromptu service.
ReligionJanuary 18, 2018
Chile Papst Franziskus zu Besuch

Pope sorry for 'damage' done by pedophile priests

Pope Francis has expressed his "pain and shame" for the "damage" done by priests who sexually abused children in Chile.
CrimeJanuary 16, 2018
Pope Francis in Santiago

Pope Francis starts Latin America tour

The pope is due to meet with indigenous peoples and victims of Chile's dictatorship during his Latin American trip.
ReligionJanuary 16, 2018
A banner showing the pope and a yellow cross

Chile, Peru await tricky Pope Francis visit

In both countries, the Catholic Church is mired in scandals, and the political situation isn't much better.
ReligionJanuary 15, 2018
Pope Francis at Mass

Pope: Hostility to migrants a 'sin'

Pope Francis has urged communities not to surrender to fear of the other during a special Mass at the Vatican.
ReligionJanuary 14, 2018
Police at one of the churches firebombed by assailants championing indigenous rights

Churches in Chile attacked ahead of pope visit

A pamphlet left at one of the churches threatened to place the "next bomb" in the pope's garments.
CrimeJanuary 13, 2018
Vatikan Neujahrsmesse

Pope highlights plight of refugees in New Year's address

Francis has used his annual World Day of Peace speech to "give voice" to the world's migrants and refugees most in need.
ReligionJanuary 1, 2018
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Getty Images/AFP/P. Singh)

World leaders reflect on 2017, look to 2018

Prominent leaders have promised to make the world a better place in 2018. DW rounds up some of their reflections.
PoliticsJanuary 1, 201810 images
Pope Francis New Year's Eve service

Pope: 2017 'ruined' by war, lies and injustice

Pope Francis has warned of the threat of nuclear war during his last service of the year, amid tension over North Korea.
ReligionJanuary 1, 2018
Pope Francis waves as he leads the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican December 25, 2017.

Pope Francis calls for two-state solution

The Pope has used his traditional Urbi et Orbi speech to call for peace in Jerusalem.
ReligionDecember 25, 2017
Pope Francis

Pope likens migrant crisis to nativity trail

Pope Francis has equated the story of Joseph and Mary to the current refugee crisis during his Christmas Eve Mass.
ReligionDecember 25, 2017
Papstgeschenk von Litauen

#NanoJesus: Lithuania sends Pope microscopic nativity scene

Pope Francis is going to need a microscope to see this year's Christmas gift from Lithuania.
TechnologyDecember 22, 2017