This is a series of essays about the election of the first pope born in the United States. NCR asked notable Catholics and Americans from various perspectives within the faith community to write about their hopes, dreams and expectations for Pope Leo XIV.
CBS News senior correspondent Norah O'Donnell is watching and waiting to see how Pope Leo XIV widens Francis' legacy of elevating women within the church.
In this dizzying moment, we can turn to the voices that have guided us through upheaval before. How fitting, then, that Pope Leo XIV has brought forth the wisdom of Pope Leo XIII into our digital age.
I have, after 80 years, felt something that I never thought I would in this century as a Roman Catholic. I feel optimistic. I feel renewed. I feel bright about the future of the Catholic Church.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Catholic, writes about his hopes for the pontificate of Leo XIV. As a servant leader, the new pope can orient us toward unity and affect the world far beyond the confines of the Catholic faith.
