When white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel on May 8 2025, the surprise was immediate. The Catholic Church’s leadership had elected its first pope born in the United States, a former Augustinian missionary in Peru who few expected to win.

One year later, the story is not about celebration or verdicts. It is about difficulty. Leo XIV’s first year reveals how hard it is to govern a global church shaped by division, reform and competing expectations.

That difficulty has not remained internal.

Leo’s interventions on war, migration and the meaning of a consistent pro-life ethic have drawn him into global politics, most sharply when US President Donald Trump attacked him and, in doing so, turned a cautious pope into an even more visible moral figure.

Criticism from Trump brought Leo unexpected attention – and, among many, a measure of admiration.

Read more: Pope Leo’s resolute response to Trump attack reveals a man of God, not politics

In terms of his role as pontiff, the pattern now emerging is clear. Leo is trying to combine Francis’s reform agenda with tighter structures, a stronger emphasis on unity, and a renewed stress on Catholic social teaching. Whether that balance can hold remains the central question of his pontificate.

Peace as a starting point

Leo’s priorities were clear from his first appearance.

Standing on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, he greeted the crowd with the words, “Peace be with all of you”. He repeated that emphasis days later at his inauguration mass on May 18 2025, calling for a church marked by unity, dialogue and reconciliation.

Read more: ‘Peace be with all of you’: how Pope Leo XIV embodies a living dialogue between tradition and modernity

This language reflects both theology and experience. Before becoming pope, Robert Prevost spent decades working in Peru, including as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023, where he dealt directly with poverty, migration and political tension. His instinct is........

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