When white smoke signaled the election of Pope Leo XIV from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel last week, history was made. For the first time in the Catholic Church’s nearly 2,000-year history, the papacy now belongs to an American and not just any American, but a native of South Side Chicago.
American by Birth, Global by Formation
Born in the heart of Chicago, Pope Leo XIV’s path to the papacy was far from conventional. Though his birthplace was U.S. soil, his priestly work took root in Latin America, with a two-decade career in Peru. His first words as pope, delivered not in English but in Italian and Spanish, suggested a leader shaped by multiple worlds a deliberate distancing from nationalist expectations.
“He is American, but he spent most of his life in Peru,” said Dr Miles Pattenden of Oxford University. “There’s clearly an intention to lead as a global pope.”
When Hometowns Become Holy Sites
Historically, a pope’s birthplace becomes more than trivia it becomes part of the Church’s living story. Some towns transform entirely under the weight of spiritual significance. Wadowice, a once-quiet Polish town, experienced just that after the rise of John Paul II in 1978.
Today, Wadowice is a bustling site of Catholic pilgrimage. Visitors flock to his childhood home, now a museum, and to the parish church where he served as an altar boy. The square where he once played is now a spiritual destination for the faithful. Between 1996 and 2019, international tourism to the town’s museum more than doubled, underscoring the long afterglow of papal origins.
Pilgrimage or Privacy? A Tale of Two Papacies
Not all papal hometowns follow this path. Pope Francis, who served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires before his election, never returned to Argentina during his papacy. Whether a statement of neutrality amid domestic tensions or an assertion of global reach, the absence left his homeland a point of origin, not pilgrimage.
Yet, Francis’s background in the slums of Buenos Aires shaped his global image as a “people’s pope.” His reputation for humility and solidarity with the poor stemmed directly from his early experiences in Argentina’s working-class neighborhoods.
The Unexpected Legacy of Papal France
In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, papal legacy has taken on an unusual flavor literally. When the papacy temporarily relocated to nearby Avignon in the 14th century, Pope John XXII established a summer retreat and vineyard estate in the village. Centuries later, the wine still bears the papal crest, and visitors toast to history as they sip vintages tied to Catholic tradition.
The vineyards remain a vibrant example of how papal history can manifest far beyond religion in commerce, culture, and even bottle labels.
What Will Chicago Do With Its Pope?
The big question now: Will Chicago embrace its new spiritual son the way Wadowice did, or will it mirror Buenos Aires in quiet reserve?
For now, curiosity is high. Even the pope’s baseball allegiance he’s a White Sox fan, according to his brother — has made headlines. And yet, Pope Leo’s first appearance offered little of the overt nationalism some expected. Experts suggest his Latin American past may make him more universalist in focus.
“In addition to being an American pope, Leo’s a Peruvian pope in a very profound way,” said Nick Spencer, a senior fellow at Theos Think Tank. “That internationalism will likely shape his leadership and the way he’s remembered.”
A New Chapter for Catholic Pilgrimage?
If history is any guide, South Side Chicago could see an influx of the faithful, eager to visit schools, parishes, or parks associated with the early life of Pope Leo XIV. Whether those places become sanctified in the public imagination depends on time, papal legacy, and how much the local Church and civic leaders lean into the opportunity.
Meanwhile, as Leo XIV begins his pontificate, the bond between popes and their places continues to deepen. These hometowns whether transformed into pilgrimage sites, cultural landmarks, or simply remembered in passing become symbols of spiritual beginnings and legacies still unfolding.
“Pilgrimage is significant and important for Catholics,” said Dr Pattenden. “Because they believe in the enchantment of physical objects… that’s why you would go back to the birthplace of a saint to get grace from your proximity.”
From wine-soaked castles in France to museum-lined streets in Poland and now perhaps to brick parishes in Chicago the map of Catholic memory is redrawn with every papal election. Pope Leo XIV’s roots may be American, but his legacy will span the globe.
