The new pontiff inherited the trip from his predecessor Pope Francis, who had planned to go himself. Leo arrives in a region roiled by the October 7 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s Gaza offensive, which broadened into a full-blown war between Israel and the Shia militant group Hizbollah in Lebanon last year.

Archbishop Roncalli also played an important humanitarian role in relation to other minority groups, particularly helping Jewish refugees from Poland flee their homeland during World War II.

Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy' presents readers with a substantive, engaging portrait of where things stand right now in a church, and a world, increasingly marked by polarization,

Pope Leo XIV will present the 2025 Ratzinger Prize to the renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, one of the most influential and respected figures in international music, during a concert in the pope’s honor on Dec. 12.

The Pope loves Aurelio’s pizza and Portillo’s chocolate cake from restaurants in the Windy City. Order a pepperoni pie (the Pope’s fav, which was hand-delivered recently to him in St. Peter’s Square) or your own cake — topped with signature ganache! AureliosPizza.com; Portillos.com. Both selections are Register staff approved. Enjoy!

The pope will celebrate the first-ever papal American Thanksgiving at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence outside Rome. Here's what's on the menu.