Just days after making history as the first American Pope, Illinois native Pope Leo XIV is preparing for a reunion with his siblings in Rome, where his brother John Prevost will join him to celebrate this unprecedented moment for the Catholic Church and Chicago alike.

Pope Leo XIV took his first trip outside the Vatican on Saturday, heading about an hour's drive east of Rome to the small Italian town of Genazzano to visit a shrine to the Virgin Mary. The new pontiff arrived for the unannounced visit in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen vehicle and was greeted to cheers from crowds gathered outside the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Pope Leo XIV stopped to wave to some well-wishers on Friday as he entered the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican.

The 2025 papal conclave at the Vatican ended with the election of American-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. Here's what to know about him.

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich participated in the conclave that elected Robert Prevost to lead the Catholic Church as pope.

He is a man formed by his experience in the church of Chicago, especially the south side,’ writes Mark Francis, CSV.