A new AP-NORC poll finds that just over a month after Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born pontiff, American Catholics are feeling excited about their new religious leader.

The Holy Father asked for the intercession of Our Lady, Queen of Peace before praying his first Angelus in the square in Latin and urging his listeners to pray for the end of conflicts in different parts of the world.

Holy pop! According to a new deep dive published by The New York Times, the newly named Pope Leo XIV is related to two of pop music's biggest names: Madonna and Justin Bieber. In assembling a detailed family tree for the Chicago-born religious leader - who was elected the new head of the Catholic Church in May following the death of Pope Francis - the publication found that Leo is distantly linked to the two singers through a shared ancestor born about six generations back.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro to head the academy; he says he will focus on artificial intelligence, bioengineering and end-of-life issues.

Pope Leo XIV has made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop. The nomination signals Leo is continuing the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with Beijing, which was one of Pope Francis' most controversial foreign policy decisions.

Pope Leo XIV is distantly related to a number of prominent figures, including Hillary Clinton and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to a genealogy investigation published by the New York Times.

Abuse experts and survivors express a mix of tentative hopes and low expectations for how Pope Leo might address discipling abusers, supporting victims and ensuring that the church is a safe environment for all.