Christ Our Savior — through two sets of church mergers — is now known as the “de facto” home parish of the new pope when he was just Robert F. Prevost.

Launching his papacy with a call for reconciliation and communion, Pope Leo XIV formally began his ministry as the successor of St. Peter by calling for “a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.”

One issue any pope would have to face when elected to govern the Catholic Church in 2025 is that of continuing to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

On May 18, Pope Leo XIV will be inaugurated into his Petrine ministry at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Hours later, on a different continent, a Mass in Indianapolis will launch the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, a five-week journey across 10 states to Los Angeles.

Catholic opponents of the death penalty said they are eager for Pope Leo XIV to build on his predecessor’s legacy of opposition to capital punishment.