Live updates and latest news as the first North American pope steps into his role as the new leader of the Catholic Church.

Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first pope from the United States in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

The new pope said he would be guided by a key document that his predecessor wrote listing the church’s priorities, including a “loving care for the least and the rejected.”

The 73-year-old Florida man appears to be a staunch Trump supporter who uses his Facebook account to go on the attack.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Monday called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the “precious gift of free speech and the press” in an audience with some of the 6,000 journalists who descended on Rome to cover his election as the first American pontiff.

Pope Leo also celebrated Mother’s Day as jubilee bands and thousands of pilgrims created a festive atmosphere in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.

Pope Leo XIV revealed that his papal name was partially inspired by the looming challenges of a world increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence.

Born Robert Francis Prevost, the new pope chose his papal name in reference to Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) who presided over the Catholic Church during the Industrial Revolution, which ushered in massive social upheaval. Pope Leo XIV sees the AI boom as a similar moment of rapid societal change.