Pope Leo XIV is vowing to actively promote and protect the spirituality and traditions of the eastern rite churches, those Catholic communities with origins in the Middle East and North Africa that have been decimated by conflict and persecution.

Catholicism did not begin as a “white” faith. Born on the eastern rim of the Mediterranean, it spread through the trading routes and legions of the Roman Empire into Africa, Asia and, only later, what we now call Europe.

Robert Prevost's election as the new pope marks the first time a person from the United States was selected as the head of the Roman Catholic faith. Here's what to know about where previous popes came from,

At a conclave with many new members, a swift, stunning consensus built around an unknown to many outside of the church.

With more than 61 million Catholics and the second-highest number of cardinals after Italy, a guessing game is emerging on whether an American could be elected pope.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago, has been elected Pope Leo XIV, making history as the first American to lead the Catholic Church. The appointment came in 2023 following Pope Francis’s decision.

The new pope’s name, as well as his baptismal names, will be translated into Latin in the announcement but his former surname will remain in his native language. For example, when Pope Francis ...

The papacy is a global platform, so the issues Pope Leo chooses to focus on can resonate far beyond the church.