The new pope seems remarkably unflustered by his election, aware of the enormity of the change that has happened to him, but not the least overwhelmed by it.

By then, Considine had become head of the U.S. bishops’ Latin America Bureau. He worked with the onetime Catholic priest and controversial social theorist Ivan Illich, who, after being uninvited by bishops in Puerto Rico, took his plans to open a missionary school for priests to Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Pope Leo XIV waves after walking onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 8, 2025, following his election during the conclave. He is the first American pope and the first Augustinian pope in history. (OSV News photo/Catholic Press Photo/Vatican Media)

The 69-year-old former Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first U.S. pope in history, has led around two dozen public events since his election on May 8, but has yet to make significant appointments, announce foreign trips,

ANALYSIS: In the first month of his papacy, Leo XIV has demonstrated that he has the grounded demeanor, bridge-building aptitude and focused vision needed to set his own course.

At one month since his election to the papacy May 8, Pope Leo XIV has so far demonstrated a continuity with his predecessor, Pope Francis, while also carving out his own personal style characterized by balance and a sense of calm in decision-making.