Catholics around the world were skeptical at first about an American pope. But Pope Leo XIV’s multicultural and multilingual identity has put them at ease.

The new pontiff spoke to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, who was part of a news conference for some 6,000 journalists from around the world.

"I hope to be able to respond to [the challenges] with a healthy dialogue," said Cardinal Robert Prevost in 2023.

A plume of white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling a new pope has been selected following Francis’ death.

The first American pope arrives at a time of extraordinary complexity and tension in the church in the United States.

Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV. He grew up in Dolton and attended St. Mary of the Assumption. A childhood friend said maybe now that he's pope, their old church will be reopened.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S. pope, descends from Creole and free people of color in Louisiana, highlighting complex issues to race and class in American history.