A shorter ball from India’s Prasidh Krishna is nicked behind and caught to end Ollie Pope’s “wonderful” innings, leaving England on 225-4 on day three of the first Test at Headingley.
Former England captain Alastair Cook believes Ollie Pope showed admirable control in the century that helped guide his side to 209-3 – trailing India by 262 runs – at the end of the second day of the first Test at Headingley.
England’s Ollie Pope scores a century in second day fightback of first Test against India.
Ollie Pope and his latest century spearheaded England to 209-3 after India was bowled out for 471 on Day Two, Saturday, of the test series opener at Headingley.
Pope was 100 not out and the leading scorer as England slashed its deficit to 262 runs by stumps and won the day.
Pope was far from perfect. He survived a testing opening spell from speedster Jasprit Bumrah in gloomy bowler-friendly conditions, narrowly avoided lbw on 34 and was dropped on 60.
He rode his luck to his ninth test hundred and second against India.
Bumrah was England’s greatest threat as expected and took all three home wickets: Zac Crawley in the first over; Ben Duckett on 62 to break his and Pope’s 122-run second-wicket partnership; and Joe Root on 28 to break his and Pope’s 80-run third-wicket partnership.
Bumrah would have had a fourth wicket in the day’s last over — Harry Brook without scoring — but he overstepped for the third time in the over. The world’s best fast bowler was also the victim of two dropped catches in the field.
England wasn’t expected to be batting soon after lunch.
India was 430-3 about half an hour before lunch. A total of at least 550 was on the cards but the demise of captain Shubman Gill for 147 sparked a collapse of 41-7 in 68 balls bridging lunch.
Ollie Pope’s gutsy century led England’s resurgence only for Jasprit Bumrah to give India the crucial wicket of Joe Root late on day two of the first Test.
Pope, preferred to rising star Jacob Bethell at number three, repaid England’s faith with 100 not out at Headingley.
The ball after Pope completed his century, Bumrah had Root caught at first slip to leave England 209-3 – all three wickets falling to the pace maestro.
England are 262 adrift of India’s 471, a total that should have been much greater.
Despite Rishabh Pant completing a thrilling century, the tourists lost their last seven wicket for 41 runs. Captain Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue claimed four wickets apiece.
Under a brooding sky – play was held up for 40 minutes by rain – England were faced with the threat of Bumrah, who promptly had Zak Crawley caught at slip.
Bumrah was electrifying, but England dug in through a stand of 122 between Ben Duckett and Pope. Duckett was dropped off Bumrah, Pope edged the same bowler through the slips.
Duckett fell for 62 to Bumrah’s second spell, in which Pope was dropped at third slip by Yashasvi Jaiswal on 60.
In the evening sunshine, Root overturned being given lbw. Bumrah was summoned for one more spell. Though he could not prevent Pope’s milestone, he snatched the bigger prize of Root.
Incredibly, there was still time for Harry Brook to be caught off a Bumrah no-ball. It was a heart-stopping end to an engrossing day.
England captain Ben Stokes says it would have been “remarkable” to drop Ollie Pope from the team to face India after he scored 171 in the previous Test against Zimbabwe.
In his first words directed specifically to Americans, Pope Leo XIV told young people on Saturday how to find hope and meaning in their lives through God and in service to others.
“So many people who suffer from different experiences of depression or sadness — they can discover that the love of God is truly healing, that it brings hope,” the first American pope said in a video broadcast on the giant screen at Rate Field, the White Sox baseball stadium on Chicago’s South Side.
The event — set in Leo’s hometown and at the home stadium of his favorite major league team — was organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago in honor of his recent election as pope. Leo seized the opportunity to speak directly to young people, tying his message to the Roman Catholic Church’s ongoing Jubilee year of hope that was declared by Pope Francis.
In Saturday’s message, Leo urged those listening in the stadium and online to be beacons of hope capable of inspiring others.
“To share that message of hope with one another — in outreach, in service, in looking for ways to make our world a better place — gives true life to all of us, and is a sign of hope for the whole world,” he said.
The afternoon program, emceed by Chicago Bulls announcer Chuck Swirsky, highlighted Leo’s roots, including music by the city’s Leo Catholic High School Choir and a musician from Peru, where Leo lived and worked for years. There was also a discussion featuring a former teacher of the future pope as well as a high school classmate and fellow Augustinian.
The event also celebrated the mixing of Catholicism and baseball, including a special invitation from the team for Leo to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at a future White Sox game.
Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, was elected May 8, becoming the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the church.
Leo, 69, spent his career serving as an Augustinian missionary and ministering in Peru before taking over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops. He succeeded Pope Francis, who died April 21.
“When I see each and every one of you, when I see how people gather together to celebrate their faith, I discover myself how much hope there is in the world,” Leo said in the video message.
The program was followed by a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago who was part of the conclave that elected Leo.
Pope Leo XIV has previously been photographed wearing a White Sox hat, the team he grew up cheering for in a working-class neighborhood.
Leo is the first person from the United States elected to serve as Pope.
Long before he was Pope, Prevost witnessed his White Sox win the 2005 World Series, capturing baseball’s title for the first time in 88 years after winning four straight games over the Houston Astros.
In addition to the Pope’s address, Saturday’s event features a serenade from a Chicago Catholic school boys’ choir competing on the reality TV program America’s Got Talent. Chicago Bulls play-by-play voice Chuck Swirsky is serving as Master of Ceremonies.
The taped appearance comes just over a month after the 69-year-old was elected to the Papacy, to the delight of many Chicagoans and its large Catholic population.
The Archdiocese of Chicago estimates more than 2 million Catholics live in the region.
Saturday’s festivities come a week after the Pope asked God to “open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred,” during weekly mass in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.
On Friday, the Pope confirmed the date on which Italian teenager Carlo Acutis will be canonized. Acutis, who died at the age of 15 from leukemia in 2006, will become the first saint from the millennial generation on Sept. 7.
It’s a good thing too — otherwise the event being thrown in his honor at the team’s home stadium this weekend might be a little awkward.
While the White Sox play the Rangers in Texas on Saturday afternoon, the Archdiocese of Chicago will be at Rate Field celebrating the new leader of the Catholic Church — who was born and raised on the city’s South Side — with a Mass by Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich and other festivities.
Leo will also be represented in mural form. The White Sox unveiled a graphic installation featuring his likeness on a concourse wall before a May 19 game against the Seattle Mariners, less than two weeks after Leo was selected as the first U.S.-born pope. He replaced Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88.
The Chicago White Sox have commemorated the fandom of Pope Leo XIV with a graphic installation at Rate Field.
(Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
The graphic was installed next to Section 140, where Leo sat in Row 19, Seat 2 for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and Houston Astros. As remarkable as it might sound, there is footage from Fox’s national broadcast of that Oct. 22, that shows the man then-known as Father Bob in the stands at the stadium then-known as U.S. Cellular Field.
Hosting a World Series game for the first time since 1959, the White Sox led by two runs with one out in the top of the ninth inning. Chicago closer Bobby Jenks had just thrown a 95-mph fastball past Houston’s Adam Everett for an 0-1 count and was preparing for his next pitch.
That’s when the camera panned to a nervous-looking Father Bob, who appears to be wearing a team jacket over a team jersey.
Viewers never got to see the future pope’s reaction to what happens next, but he must have been ecstatic as Jenks strikes out Everett in two more pitches for a 5-3 Chicago win. The White Sox would go on to sweep the Astros for their first World Series win since 1917.
“That was his thing. He liked to get out and go to a game once in a while,” Louis Prevost told the Chicago Tribune of his brother, the future pope. “Eat a hot dog. Have some pizza. Like any other guy in Chicago on the South Side.”
His favorite team may have fallen on harder times since then — the White Sox are an American League-worst 23-45 and 20.5 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers in the Central Division — but Leo is still willing to put his fandom on display for the world to see.
On Wednesday, he wore a White Sox hat along with his traditional papal cassock while blessing newly married couples in St. Peter’s Square outside the Vatican.
Kelly and Gary DeStefano, who live in Haverhill, Mass., and are Boston Red Sox fans, gave him the hat. Kelly DeStefano told Boston.com they were just trying to get the new pope’s attention.
“I just wanted to make sure everyone at home knew that we did not turn on our team,” she told Boston.com. “It was all in joke and good fun.”
Chicago White Sox fans dress up like fellow White Sox fan Pope Leo XIV to watch a game against the Cubs on May 17 at Wrigley Field.
(Paul Beaty / Associated Press)
It worked, with Boston.com reporting that Leo gave the couple a good-natured ribbing once he found out where they are from.
“You’re going to get in trouble for this,” he told them, in a video of the meeting.
“Don’t tell anyone in Massachusetts,” Kelly DeStefano replied.
While Leo might be a little too busy to attend a game anytime soon, White Sox executive vice president, chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer said last month that the pope is welcome to return to Rate Field whenever he wants.
“He has an open invite to throw out a first pitch,” Boyer said. “Heck, maybe we’ll let him get an at-bat.”
June 8 (UPI) — Pope Leo asked God to “open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred,” during Sunday mass with tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square Sunday.
The pontiff has been critical of nationalist political movements and the “exclusionary mindset” they convey, but did not name a specific country or government.
“There is no room for prejudice , for ‘security zones’ separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging in political nationalisms,” the pope said during the mass.
Leo added that the church “must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race.”
“People must move beyond our fear of those who are different,” he continued, and said the Holy Spirit “breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred.”
While the pontiff did not mention President Donald Trump by name, he has been critical of his administration and policies.
Prior to ascending to pope in May, Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, routinely posted negative comments about Trump and vice-president JD Vance on social media. The Prevost X account was deactivated shortly after he became pope.
Prior to Leo, pope Francis, who died earlier this year, was also critical of Trump.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not a Christian,” Francis said about Trump when asked about him in 2016.
Ties with China remain sensitive within the Catholic Church over a 2018 deal between the Holy See and Beijing.
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has asked for prayers for China’s Catholics in his first reference to one of the most contentious issues that the Catholic Church and his papacy face in the arena of geopolitics.
Speaking on Sunday from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pontiff recalled the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which falls each May 24 – a feast initiated by Pope Benedict XVI.
“In the churches and shrines of China and throughout the world, prayers were raised to God as a sign of concern and affection for Chinese Catholics and their communion with the universal church,” Leo said to about 35,000 faithful.
The pope hoped the prayers “obtain for them and for us the grace to be strong and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even in the midst of trials, to always promote peace and harmony”, he said.
Pope Benedict XVI, who headed the church from 2005 until 2013, established the feast as part of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 million Catholics, who were divided between an official, state-controlled church that didn’t recognise papal authority, and an underground church that remained loyal to Rome through decades of persecution.
Ties with China remain a deeply sensitive issue within the church as some clergymen reject a 2018 deal between the Holy See and China that gave Beijing a say in the appointment of Catholic bishops there, since Catholics were repressed by the Communist Party.
The agreement was aimed at uniting the flock, regularising the status of seven bishops who weren’t recognised by Rome, and thawing decades of estrangement between China and the Vatican.
While details of the agreement were never released, Pope Francis insisted he retained veto power over the ultimate choice.
Critics, particularly on the Catholic right wing, believed Francis had caved to Beijing’s demands and sold out the underground faithful in China. The Vatican has said it was the best deal it could get, and it has been renewed periodically since then.
Pope Leo will have to decide whether to continue renewing the accord. There have been some apparent violations on the Beijing side, with some unilateral appointments that occurred without papal consent.
The issue came to a head just before the conclave that elected Leo, when the Chinese church proceeded with the preliminary election of two bishops, a step that comes before official consecration.
The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially severed over seven decades ago when the Communists came to power.
Relations had long been fraught over China’s insistence on its exclusive right to name bishops as a matter of national sovereignty, while the Vatican insisted on the pope’s exclusive right to name the successors of the original Apostles.
VATICAN CITY — Throughout President Biden’s life, his religion has been a refuge. He fingers a rosary during moments of stress and often attends Mass at the church in Delaware where his son Beau is buried.
But as Biden and Pope Francis prepared for a tete-a-tete Friday at the Vatican — the president’s first stop while traveling in Europe for two international summits — both the flocks they lead, the American people and the Roman Catholic Church, are beset by divisions and contradictions that at times seem irreconcilable.
For the record:
4:56 a.m. Oct. 29, 2021A previous version of this story misstated the day of President Biden and Pope Francis’ meeting. The two leaders met Friday, not Thursday.
“They preside over fractured communities,” said Massimo Faggioli, a theology professor at Villanova University who wrote a book about Biden and Catholicism. “They face situations with many similarities.”
The two leaders met for 90 minutes early Friday afternoon, according to the White House, which was longer than expected. Later in the day, Biden said they prayed together for peace and that Francis blessed his rosary.
The president said the conversation focused on the “moral responsibility” of dealing with climate change — the topic of an upcoming summit in Glasgow, Scotland. The president added that they did not discuss abortion. Biden supports abortion rights, a contradiction of Catholic doctrine that is common among Democrats.
“We just talked about the fact that he was happy I was a good Catholic,” Biden said, adding that Francis told him he should continue to receive Communion.
It was a significant statement from the pope on an issue that has stirred political and spiritual controversy over the relationship between politicians who support abortion rights and the church.
Conservative Catholic bishops in the United States are arguing that political leaders who support abortion rights should not receive Communion — the ritual where a priest consecrates bread and wine and then shares it with believers — and the issue is slated for debate during an upcoming episcopal meeting in Baltimore. Because the proposal gained steam after Biden’s election, it’s been viewed as a rebuke of the president.
The controversy reflects an internal debate over whether the Catholic Church should broaden its appeal or adhere more strictly to its core tenets. George Weigel, a distinguished senior fellow at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center, said some people “claim to be Catholic and yet want to turn Catholicism into a version of liberal Protestantism.”
“What the bishops are discussing is whether Catholic political leaders who are not in full communion with the church because they act in ways that contradict settled Catholic teaching should have the integrity not to present themselves for Holy Communion,” he said.
The Vatican, however, has been wary of a debate that mixes politics and one of the church’s holiest rituals. Francis said last month that he has “never refused the Eucharist to anyone.” Since becoming pope eight years ago, he has sought to distance himself from divisive topics such as same-sex marriage while focusing on more ecumenical issues.
John K. White, professor of politics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, said the pope’s meeting with Biden “sends a message to the American bishops that denying Communion is not something that he approves of.”
The news media were not allowed into the meeting or to catch a glimpse of Biden and Francis together. The Vatican released video of part of an encounter that appeared affectionate, even chummy. At one point, Biden handed the pope a commemorative coin.
“The tradition is, and I’m only kidding about this, the next time I see you and you don’t have it, you have to buy the drinks,” said Biden, who joked that he’s probably the only Irishman that Francis has ever met who doesn’t drink.
The president bid farewell to the pope with a phrase that has become something of a trademark for him — “God love you.”
Biden and Francis have met several times before, starting with a brief encounter when Biden, then vice president, attended Francis’ papal inauguration in 2013.
Then-presidential candidate Joe Biden leaves a church in Wilmington, Del., last year after attending a confirmation Mass for his granddaughter.
(Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)
Two years later, Biden welcomed Francis to the U.S. and brought his family to a private meeting with him shortly after Beau died.
“I wish every grieving parent, brother or sister, mother or father would have had the benefit of his words, his prayers, his presence,” Biden said the following year during a visit to the Vatican, where he met Francis again.
Biden is only the second Catholic president after John F. Kennedy, who was elected in 1960. At that time, the church was still viewed with suspicion by some Americans, and Kennedy assured voters that he believed in the separation of church and state — another way of saying that he would follow the Constitution, not the pope, while in office.
Now, Catholics are represented in the highest levels of American public life. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, is Catholic, as is one of her predecessors, John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio. The majority of Supreme Court justices are Catholic.
Biden keeps a photo of him with Francis in the Oval Office among an assortment of family photos.
The president attends Mass once a week, even when traveling. He made a point of visiting a church during a 2001 trip to China while he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“I’m going to be there on a Sunday — can I go to church somewhere?” Biden said, according to Frank Januzzi, one of the future president’s staff members at the time.
Although there were large Catholic churches in Beijing where Biden could have attended Mass, he ultimately visited what Januzzi described as a “tiny, hole-in-the-wall” parish in a village outside the Chinese capital. Biden took Communion from an elderly priest there.
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“This was an opportunity to make a statement about the importance of freedom of religion and demonstrate his own faith as well,” said Januzzi, who now leads the Mansfield Foundation, an organization dedicated to fostering U.S.-Asia relations.
White, the university professor, recalled attending Mass at a church in Bethesda, Md., in 2015 when Biden and his wife slipped in. It was unexpected, because it was not Biden’s usual parish, but Beau was hospitalized nearby with brain cancer and was near death.
Even from a distance, White said, “You could tell they were in distress.” They received Communion and exchanged the sign of peace — when parishioners shake hands and exchange greetings — and left.
Beau’s death was just one of the tragedies that have shaped Biden’s life. In 1972, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident shortly after he was first elected to the Senate.
“When people have tragedy, sometimes their faith goes away, or is forged in steel,” White said. “All the tragedies that have beset Biden have reinforced his faith and who he is.”
Centuries from Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett highlight a dominant batting display as England wrap up day one on 498-3 in the first innings of their single Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
ROME — U.S. Vice President JD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Vance gave the first American pope a letter from President Trump and the first lady inviting him. The Chicago-born pope took the letter and put it on his desk and was heard saying “at some point,” in the video footage of the meeting provided by Vatican Media.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also gave the Augustinian pope a copy of two of St. Augustine’s most seminal works, “The City of God” and “On Christian Doctrine,” the vice president’s office said. Another gift: A Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo’s name on it.
“As you can probably imagine, people in the United States are extremely excited about you,” Vance told Leo as they exchanged gifts.
Leo gave Vance a bronze sculpture with the words in Italian “Peace is a fragile flower,” and a coffee-table sized picture book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Leo noted that Francis had chosen not to live in them and added, “And I may live in, but it’s not totally decided.”
Vance led the U.S. delegation to Sunday’s formal Mass opening the pontificate of the first American pope. Joining him at the meeting on Monday was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic, Vance spokesperson Luke Schroeder said. The two then also met with the Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
“There was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” according to a Vatican statement after their meeting.
According to the photo of the visits released by the Vatican, Leo’s brother, Louis Prevost, a self-described “MAGA-type,” and his wife, Deborah, joined the delegation during the visit.
The Vatican listed Vance’s delegation as the first of several private audiences Leo was having Monday with people who had come to Rome for his inaugural Mass, including other Christian leaders and a group of faithful from his old diocese in Chiclayo, Peru.
The Vatican, which was largely sidelined during the first three years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has offered to host any peace talks while continuing humanitarian efforts to facilitate prisoner swaps and reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
After greeting Leo briefly at the end of Sunday’s Mass, Vance spent the rest of the day in separate meetings, including with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also met with European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, who said she hoped the trilateral meeting could be a “new beginning.”
In the evening, Meloni spoke by phone with U.S. President Trump and several other European leaders ahead of Trump’s expected call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to a statement from Meloni’s office.
‘Every effort’
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is a Chicago-born Augustinian missionary who spent the bulk of his ministry in Chiclayo, a commercial city of around 800,000 on Peru’s northern Pacific coast.
In the days since his May 8 election, Leo has vowed “every effort” to help bring peace to Ukraine. He also has emphasized his continuity with Pope Francis, who made caring for migrants and the poor a priority of his pontificate.
Before his election, Prevost shared news articles on X that were critical of the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations of migrants.
Vance was one of the last foreign officials to meet with Francis before the Argentine pope’s April 21 death. The two had tangled over migration, with Francis publicly rebuking the Trump administration’s deportation plan and correcting Vance’s theological justification for it.
Winfield and Martin write for the Associated Press.
Pope Leo XIV met with US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican, a day after his inaugural Mass. Vance, whose hardline immigration stance has drawn past criticism from Leo, invited the US-born pontiff to visit the US.
Vance paid his respects at the late Pope Francis‘s tomb upon arriving in Rome late on Saturday before heading to the US delegation honouring Chicago-born Leo.
The pope, 69, has publicly criticised Vance, previously sharing an article condemning the Republican’s comments about a hierarchy of who you love in Christianity on a social media account under his name.
Both the United States and Peru get front-row seats at the historic event due to Leo’s dual citizenship as well as strict diplomatic protocol.
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Catholic convert Vance – who tangled with Pope Francis over Donald Trump’s mass migrant deportation plans – was joined by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio arrived in Rome ahead of time to try to advance tense Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Images showed Vance smiling as he shook the hand of President Zelensky – despite the two engaging in the brutal three-way Oval Office shouting match earlier this year.
Moscow last night fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys targeting Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, as well as Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions – the biggest Russian drone attack since the start of the war.
Pope Leo laughs as he issues cryptic six-word message for Americans after JD Vance criticism
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Chicago-born Leo waving from the popemobileCredit: Getty
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Pontiff calls for peace and unity at the service, which attracts dignitaries from around the world.
Pope Leo XIV has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his inaugural Mass in the Vatican, where he delivered a message of love and unity to a crowd of 200,000 pilgrims.
“We thank the Vatican for its willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. We are ready for dialogue in any format for the sake of tangible results. We appreciate the support for Ukraine and the clear voice in defense of a just and lasting peace,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
No statement has been issued by the Vatican yet regarding Sunday’s meeting.
Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, was officially installed as the head of the Catholic Church at an outdoor Mass in St Peter’s Square with world leaders and European royalty in attendance.
In his sermon, Leo, the first American pope, called for unity within the church, saying he wanted it to act as a force for peace in the world.
“I would like that our first great desire be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world,” he said.
“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest.”
Leo said he was assuming the role as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics “with fear and trembling” and insisted he would not lead like “an autocrat”.
“It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving, as Jesus did,” he said, in an apparent nod to the split between conservative and liberal factions within the church.
‘The rich heritage of the Christian faith’
The 69-year-old pope, who was born in Chicago and spent years as a missionary in Peru, succeeds the late Pope Francis, whose 12-year tenure was marked by tensions with traditionalists within the church. In an apparent nod to conservatives, Leo said he was committed to protecting “the rich heritage of the Christian faith” and repeatedly used the words “unity” and “harmony”.
Before the ceremony, Leo took his first popemobile ride through St Peter’s Square, waving to crowds cheering, “Viva il Papa.”
Dignitaries in attendance included the presidents of Israel, Peru and Nigeria; the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; and Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
The United States delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic who had clashed with Francis over the White House’s approach to immigration. Vance shook hands with Zelenskyy at the start of the ceremony, in contrast to the previous meeting between the two men and President Donald Trump in a fiery encounter in front of the world’s media at the White House in February.
Leo prayed for the victims of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza in his sermon, saying Ukraine was being “martyred” and lamenting that Palestinians were being “reduced to starvation”.
Pope Leo XIV condemned hatred, prejudice and exploitation of the earth and poor, during his inauguration mass at the Vatican. World leaders were among the hundreds of thousands who attended, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who was seen shaking hands with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The first US pontiff arrived at St Peters Square riding his popemobile for the first time.
It’s not the summer destination you’d expect from the head of the Catholic Church, but Pope Leo XIV’s friend has revealed his favourite summer destination
The beautiful holiday destination, the Pope fell in love with(Image: Getty Images)
Surfing, beaches, camping and long road trips – not your typical summer for the man leading a billion Catholics. But for Pope Leo XIV, that lifestyle feels like a second home.
While Rome is now where he lives, it was in Australia where he truly enjoyed spending his down time. The 79-year-old has visited Australia many times and is said to have fallen in love with its lifestyle – its beach culture, vast roads and famous laidback spirit.
A close friend revealed it wasn’t just the beaches he fell in love during his trips, but he genuinely connected with the country’s pace and spirit. Father Banks, originally from Melbourne is a close friend of Pope Leo XIV revealed he visited the country many times and “loved the beaches”.
Father Banks revealed the Pope’s favourite summer destination(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
Banks has lived in Rome for the past 12 years and has witnessed how the Pope’s bond with Australia has grown stronger over time. “He felt very much at home in Australia, as a second home,” he added. “He enjoyed being in our company.”
But it wasn’t only the sun that he enjoyed, Pope Leo also saw the beauty in the country’s scale and silence. “He enjoyed driving from Brisbane to Sydney,” Father Banks said. It was the “the loneliness of the distances” that he was really drawn to.
However his connection with Australia was deeper than holidays. He once visited during World Youth Day – a Catholic gathering, typically held every few years. In 2008, it was hosted in Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.
The beautiful sunrise in Australia(Image: Getty Images)
Over that time, he also stopped at St Augustine’s College in Brookvale and met students and staff in a warm, down to earth exchange. “He has many great memories of Australia,” his friend added.
Australia is known for the relaxed atmosphere, surf scene and beautiful nature, which may seem a world away from the Vatican, but it seems the contrast is exactly why the new Pope loved it.
The country offered something he often didn’t find elsewhere, a place to slow down and just be – enjoying the outdoors and easygoing attitude. Whether it was the freedom of an open road or the casual warmth of a location conversation, Australia gave Pope Leo something beyond a holiday – it gave him a feeling of home, according to Father Banks.
Pope Leo was appointed last week and as he steps into one of the most powerful spiritual roles in the world, the memories he made in Australia will undoubtedly stay with him.
Recently elected Pope Leo XIV is the first pontiff from the United States, just as the country’s president is shaking up the global order. With both the US and the Catholic Church deeply divided, what does Pope Leo’s selection mean for Catholics in the US and worldwide?
