Who is the new Pope Leo XIV and what are his views?
About 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide will have a new spiritual leader: Pope Leo XIV.
The election of Robert Frances Prevost, who chose the name Leo XIV, as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church marks two historic firsts.. Leo is be the first-ever U.S.-born pope to lead the church and the first pope from the Augustinian order.
On Thursday, the new pope appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and delivered a short speech. His opening words were, “Peace be with all of you!”
The 69-year-old pontiff added that he wanted his message of peace to “enter your hearts, reach your families and all people, wherever they are.” During his address, he spoke in Italian, Spanish and Latin.
The new pope thanked his fellow cardinals for selecting him. He also expressed gratitude to his former diocese in Peru and spoke warmly of Pope Francis, his late predecessor, before ending his remarks with a prayer.
Leo is known to share some of the same priorities as Francis, particularly when it comes to the environment and outreach to migrants and the poor, according to The College of Cardinals Report, a resource created by a team of Vatican journalists.
The new pope was born in Chicago in 1955, according to Vatican News. His father is of French and Italian descent, while his mother is of Spanish descent.
Leo studied at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers. He went on to attend Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where he received a degree in mathematics. He later pursued his theological education at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Although the new pontiff is American, one of the most significant chapters of his ministry took place in Peru. Prevost served there for roughly two decades. Pope Francis appointed him as Bishop of Chiclayo in 2014 and he became a cardinal last year.
A proposed Bessemer data center faces new hurdles: a ‘road to nowhere’ and the Birmingham darter
With the City Council in Bessemer scheduled to vote Tuesday on a “hyperscale” data center, challenges from an environmental group and the Alabama Department of Transportation present potential obstacles for the wildly unpopular project.
Birmingham Museum of Art’s silver exhibit tells a dazzling global story
Silver and Ceremony is made up of more than 150 suites of silver, sourced from India, and some of their designs.
Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can’t get treatment. Here’s what’s to know
Hundreds of people across Alabama await a spot in the state’s increasingly limited facilities, despite a consent decree requiring the state to address delays in providing care for people who are charged with crimes but deemed too mentally ill to stand trial. But seven years since the federal agreement, the problem has only worsened.
Ivey appoints Will Parker to Alabama Supreme Court
Parker fills the court seat vacated by Bill Lewis who was tapped by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Lewis as a U.S. district judge.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
