November 8 was the six-month anniversary of Pope Leo XIV's election. We consider 12 interesting dates from this first half-year.
May 8: At 6:07 p.m., under the gaze of cameras from around the world, white smoke billowed from the stove in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, causing a clamor among the crowd that shook the pillars of St. Peter's Basilica (and disturbed the seagull family on the roof, which had been bringing ooohs and aaahs from the Square).
American Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th pope in history at the age of 69. After a conclave lasting barely 24 hours, the 133 cardinal electors reached agreement after only four ballots.
During his Urbi et Orbi blessing from the loggia of the basilica, the new pontiff, announced peace to the world, a peace that he wanted to be “disarmed and disarming.”
May 18: In the presence of 156 government delegations from around the world, Leo XIV celebrated the official inauguration Mass of his Petrine ministry in St. Peter's Square.
During the celebration in front of some 100,000 people, whose numbers stretched as far as the Tiber, he received the pallium, a liturgical scarf made of white wool worn by archbishops, and the “Fisherman's Ring,” representing the authority of the pope and the succession of the Apostle Peter.
Leo XIV also presided over the “rite of obedience” with 12 representatives of the Catholic faithful.
In his homily, the head of the Catholic Church assured that he would focus his ministry on “charity.” He expressed his desire to see “a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.”
May 24: “Popes pass, the Curia remains.” In his first speech to Vatican employees gathered in Paul VI Hall, Leo XIV uttered this remarkable phrase and paid lengthy tribute to his collaborators. His words were seen as a desire to begin in a vein of teamwork and esteem. The new pope also provided the €500 “conclave bonus” for employees, which had not been given by his predecessor.
July 7-22: Leo XIV's first vacation in Castel Gandolfo, just southeast of Rome — the former summer residence of Popes Benedict XVI, John Paul II, and their predecessors. There, the sports-loving pontiff can enjoy a tennis court and even horses.
His brother John confided that Leo XIV enjoys Castel Gandolfo and would vacation there regularly.
The pope no longer occupies the Apostolic Palace, as it was converted into a museum by Pope Francis, but resides at Villa Barberini, another residence belonging to the Holy See.
July 9: The Pope receives Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he had already met on May 18 during his installation as Bishop of Rome. During this new meeting, he reiterates his willingness to host “negotiations” between the Russian and Ukrainian parties at the Vatican.
July 28-August 3: For a week in the middle of summer, hundreds of thousands of young people waving flags from around the world take to the streets of Rome for the “Youth Jubilee.” It is Leo XIV's first major encounter with young people.
During these days, he invited the delegations to spread peace. The jubilee culminated in Tor Vergata, where, according to the organizers, one million young people participated in a vigil and Mass with the pontiff, who urged them to “passionately seek the truth.”
September 7: Leo XIV celebrates the first canonization of his pontificate by declaring Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) and Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) saints during a Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Square.
In his homily, the new pope encouraged young people around the world not to “waste” their lives but to become saints by “cultivating love for God” and for the poor. The date of canonization for the two very popular young saints underwent some changes: Carlo Acutis was to be canonized on April 27—an event postponed due to the death of Francis — and Frassati on August 3.
September 18: Publication of the pope's first interview in the biography Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century (English translation coming early 2026). Leo XIV opened up on many subjects.
September 26: Appointment of Filippo Iannone as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the post Prevost had had prior to being elected. To replace him in this key position in the Vatican administration, which the Pope held only from 2023 to 2025, he chose a man from the Roman Curia. The 67-year-old Italian was previously head of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts. This was the first time the Pope appointed a prefect.
October 9: Publication of Leo XIV's first apostolic letter. Titled “Dilexi te” – “I have loved you,” this text is a legacy of Francis and is dedicated to “love for the poor.” Making attention to the poor the compass of the Catholic Church, the new pontiff calls on Christians to reject ideologies that lead to immobility or perpetuate an “economy that kills,” and to denounce “structures of injustice.”
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, who had initiated the drafting of this exhortation, Leo XIV reiterates his message in favor of migrants, abused women, prisoners, and the education of the poor.
October 23: State visit of King Charles III to the Holy See. During the morning, Leo XIV and the British monarch pray together under Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel — a historic first since the separation of the Church of England and the Catholic Church in 1534.
As a sign of friendship between Anglicans and Catholics, King Charles III receives an honorary title at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls and Leo XIV one at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
November 1: During All Saints' Day Mass, at the conclusion of the Jubilee of Education, Leo XIV proclaimed British Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) a “Doctor of the Church” and co-patron of Catholic schools. Drawing on the figure of the former Anglican who converted to Catholicism, he outlines the major missions of Catholic education in a world threatened by nihilism and inequality.
Two important dates are planned for the coming weeks:
November 20: Leo XIV will make his first trip outside Rome and its surroundings to Assisi to conclude the 81st General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
November 27–December 2: Leo XIV's first apostolic trip to Turkey and Lebanon.