Pope Leo XIV will formally begin his ministry as bishop of Rome with a liturgy steeped in tradition and rich in symbolism May 18.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican. Vance offered Leo a letter from U.S.

The Chicago-born pontiff is the first American to lead the Catholic Church, and while his positions on some of the church’s hot-button issues remain unclear, he has signaled continuity with his predecessor, who challenged norms, embraced migrants and the poor, and sought to build an inclusive church.

I don’t think he is going to go, pull the church hard left,” Prevost also said. “I think he’s going to be down the middle.”

In the U.S., Catholics have been embracing technological innovations to transform the way their faith is practiced and shared. Even Pope Leo XIV has highlighted the importance of using modern communication tools such as social media.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV affirmed Friday that the family is founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman,” and that the unborn and elderly enjoy dignity as God’s creatures, articulating clear Catholic teaching on marriage and abortion at the start of his pontificate.