Averting a financial crisis “will rank among most pressing issues for the new pontiff,” says Charles Gillespie, PhD, professor at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

The ritual for electing a new pope took social media by storm this week as content creators reacted to the ancient tradition with memes, skits and parodies.

Pope Leo XIV signals a digital-era shift for the Church by endorsing HolyDeeds, a Vatican-backed immersive tech project that unites sacred storytelling, art and AI.

Pope Leo XIV has made peace with Jannik Sinner. The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope on Wednesday, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open.

The pop star was photographed on May 8 in attendance at the conclave election of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, which is a photo that has now gone viral.

In a move that bridges centuries of tradition with the digital age, Pope Leo XIV is officially keeping the papacy online. According to a press release from the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication, the new pontiff will maintain an active presence on social media through the official papal accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for his first Sunday blessing after his election, in St. Peter¥s Square at the Vatican, Sunday May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St.

The U.S. is one of only a handful of countries that taxes citizens living abroad. Thus, thanks to his American passport, the 69-year-old Chicago-born pope, known until last week as Robert Prevost, will likely need to file a tax return to the U.S. government just like any other citizen, experts told Fortune.