As Pope Leo XIV stepped out in front of cheering crowds outside of St. Peter’s Basilica to give his first speech as head of the Holy See, experts took note of a few subtle clues that may reveal what direction the Catholic Church will go under his leadership.

P olitical figures around the world have congratulated Robert Francis Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, after his election on Thursday, May 8, as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Hailing from Chicago and a dual U.S.-Peru national, Prevost is the first North American Pope and second from the Americas, after his late predecessor Francis.