Dr. Matthew Bunson, Vice President and Editorial Director, EWTN News, presented in the Vatican the first authoritative biography of Pope Leo XIV.

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“The Pontificate of Leo XVI is still only days old, and yet there is a sense of clarity and mission about it that began from his walk onto the world stage on May 8th. Among the reasons for the sense of certainty and immediate stability is a deliberate decision he made to dress in the traditional vesture of the popes. This was not a rejection of the deliberate simplicity of Pope Francis, but a conscious effort to connect himself and with it his pontificate to his predecessors and the long customs and symbols of the papacy and the Church.”

Journalists, members of the Roman Curia and diplomats gathered within the Vatican walls in the "Campo Santo" for the presentation of the EWTN book ‘Leo XIV: Portrait of the First American Pope.’

This biography offers a portrait of the life, education, and experiences that led the American Robert Francis Prevost to the papacy in Rome.

“In understanding him, though, we have to understand where he came from. I mentioned Chicago, Peru, Rome. Yes, he is a U.S. citizen, but he is a universal person.”

The author details the influence of growing up in Chicago at a time when America had ‘close-knit Catholic families, thriving parishes, and places of joy in the faith’. He also recounts the future pope’s subsequent years as a true missionary experience.

“He is somebody who, by his call to the priesthood and to the life of the Augustinians, embarked on an absolutely stunning journey. Something tells me he did not anticipate going to Peru or that he would spend 20 years there, or that he'd come back to Peru as a Bishop. Or that he'd be head of the Augustinian order, meaning that he would travel the globe. So, as I mentioned, he really is profoundly, somebody who understands and has, I think, a finger on the pulse of the world.”

Bunson said that the newly elected Pope embodies the mission of the pontificate: "to be the center of unity in the Church.”

Fr. Markus Solo Kewuta, of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, notes, “The author, Matthew, has highlighted a very important mission of Pope Leo XIV, namely as a bridge builder amongst cultures and religions, highlighting unity, peace, reconciliation.”

Daniel Arasa, Consultor of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, adds, “It seems to me that this initiative is very ambitious, because it is to write a book about a Pope who has just arrived, but in that sense it also seems to me to be very successful because it is necessary for someone to give guidance on the steps that Pope Leo XIV is going to take.”

Fr. Kasmir Nema, Communications Coordinator of the Generalate of the Divine Word Missionary Generalate, highlights, “When the Pope was announced, our new Pope was announced, many people were surprised. Right? So, I think this is a very good opportunity and I think to the writer, this is a time for the people to know more about the Pope, who is this Pope?”

Marie‑Thérèse Kreidy, Director of Programs Télé Lumière, underscores, “As a new Pope, it’s very important for everybody to get to know him, to know his background, to know where he came from, to know all the path that led him to be the Pope today.”

This biography is not only a first glimpse into the life of the newly elected pope, but also forms part of the culmination of EWTN's coverage of the interregnum period, in which more than 50 EWTN members reported from Rome. Dr. Bunson concludes:

“‘In Illo uno unum’: in One we are one. That more than anything else is what Pope Leo XIV believes the world needs to know today.

FIND THE POPE'S BIOGRAPHY HERE

Adapted by Jacob Stein

Paola Arriaza contributed to this story; Produced by Alexey Gotovskiy; Camera by Sergio Natoli; Special thanks & Credits:  The Collegio Teutonico