One year with Leo, the first American pope in history

When his name, in Latin 'Robertum Franciscum', was read out by the Cardinal Protodeacon on 8 May 2025 (7.12pm), few knew who he was. And indeed two seconds of unreal silence fell over the packed square. Then appeared the now former Cardinal Prevost, the first American pope in history, unexpected but certainly surprising. The first word he uttered was 'peace', and ever since then the theme of peace between peoples has been the thread running through his pastoral work, which has led him to be attacked - an unprecedented occurrence - by the president of the United States, by the commander-in-chief of his homeland. A year that began with an unbroken course - unlike Francis, who from the very beginning focused on many initiatives, especially reforms - but which gradually took shape, and which in the last two months has seen an abrupt acceleration.