It's one of the quirks of Vatican journalism that those who truly get close to the Holy Father usually keep quiet. And then there are the rest of us: we sit in the front rows, catch a glimpse behind the scenes here and there—and talk all the more. As a correspondent who has been able to follow the past year up close, I'd like to share some personal impressions on the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV's pontificate.
My first encounter with the new pope was paradoxically one where I didn't really see him. On May 8, 2025, white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. I was with my team in our open-air studio on Via della Conciliazione—with our backs to St. Peter's Square. While the world waited for the new pope, we looked into the cameras, which were also pointing toward the basilica.
I was prepared, or so I thought. A thick red folder was ready, filled with the names and short biographies of all 133 cardinals. My wife had gotten it for me—"cardinal red," she joked. A precaution in case technology failed. When Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti announced the "Habemus Papam," a shiver ran down my spine. And when he called out the name Robert Francis Prevost, I frantically flipped a few pages forward. I had had my finger on "Parolin" the whole time. I hadn't expected Prevost.
Of course, the name was familiar: he headed the Dicastery for Bishops and had been involved in the confrontation with the controversial "Synodal Way" in Germany. But who was this man really? My memory helped me: two months earlier, on a cold Monday in March, I had served as a translator for US colleagues. It was about a meeting with this very cardinal. But the memory was vague.
The First Weeks: A Pope of Surprises
Pope Leo XIV began his pontificate with gestures that made people take notice. In his very first address, he emphasized the unity of the Church and called for a dialogue that would bridge all divides. "The Church is not a museum, but a living garden," he said—an image he would return to in the following months. Particularly moving was his visit to the Bambino Gesù hospital just three days after the election. There he knelt before a girl with cancer and blessed her. The images went around the world.
But it wasn't just symbolic acts that marked his style. In one of his first audiences, he received representatives of the World Council of Churches and reaffirmed his commitment to Christian unity. "Division among us is a wound on the body of Christ," he said. A statement that resonates especially well on EncuentraIglesias.com, a platform for all Christians.
A Look at the Bible: The Unity of Believers
In this context, I recall the words of the Apostle Paul: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called" (Ephesians 4:3-4, New International Version). Pope Leo seems to deeply internalize this concern.
The Challenges of a Year
The first year of the pontificate was not without difficulties. Internal church tensions, especially in Germany, persisted. The "Synodal Way" had left deep divisions. Pope Leo adopted a line of clarity, but also patience. In a letter to the German bishops, he wrote: "Truth is not a possession we defend, but a person we encounter—Jesus Christ."
World politics also challenged him. The war in Ukraine continued, and the pope sent a special envoy to Kyiv and Moscow. His peace appeals were
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