The 2018 accord sought to resolve the issue of who has authority to appoint bishops.

Pope Leo XIV made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop under the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with Beijing, signalling he is continuing one of Pope Francis’ most controversial foreign policy decisions.

Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and the first American pope, wore a White Sox baseball cap during a public appearance at the Vatican, setting the tone for his papal style.

The canonisation of the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation, Carlo Acutis, will take place on September 7, Pope Leo announced on Friday. Acutis, a British-born Italian who died from leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15,

One of the greatest challenges facing Pope Leo XIV is financial. He has inherited the Holy See’s chronic, 50 million to 60 million euro ($57-68 million) structural deficit, a 1 billion euro ($1.14 billion) pension fund shortfall and declining donations.

When Pope Leo XIV stepped out on the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the crowd for the first time after his May 8 election, liturgical fashion aficionados around the globe took note: Gone was the simple white cassock and silver cross favored by Pope Francis.

In his first month, Pope Leo has taken a very different approach to his predecessor Francis. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has led some two dozen public events since he was elected as the first U.

Even before being chosen yet, Pope Leo was already receiving requests from all corners of the globe.Following Pope Francis' passing at 88, officials are now turning their attention to Pope Leo, including a British UFO researcher and filmmaker who is hoping the new Pontiff will break years of silence and finally disclose the Vatican's secret knowledge about UFO activity.