A new chapter begins for the Catholic Church, as Pope Leo XIV — the first American pontiff — delivers his first mass inside the Sistine Chapel. His election surprised many, but his global experience and spiritual background are drawing early praise.

Francis, the first Latin American pope, clearly had his eye on Prevost and in many ways saw him as his heir apparent. He sent Prevost, who had spent years as a missionary in Peru, to take over a complicated diocese there in 2014.