A look back at pope Leo's first year as leader of Catholic Church. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel, and the bells of St. Peter's rang out on May 8, 2025, signalling that cardinals had elected a new pope to succeed Pope Francis and take charge of the Roman Catholic Church.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - MAY 8, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

1. WHITE SMOKE BILLOWING OUT OF CHIMNEY

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - MAY 8, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

2. WHITE SMOKE RISING

Pope Leo spoke to crowds in St Peter's Square on May 8, 2025, in his first public appearance after being elected.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - MAY 8, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

3. POPE LEO XIV WAVING FROM BALCONY

4. CROWD WAVING AND CHEERING IN ST PETER'S SQUARE

5. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO XIV STANDING ON BALCONY

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO XIV SAYING:

"Peace be with all of you."

Pope Leo paid his respects at the tomb of his predecessor, Francis.

ROME, ITALY (ARCHIVE - MAY 10, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

7. POPE LEO PRAYING IN FRONT OF POPE FRANCIS' TOMB AT ST. MARY MAJOR BASILICA

Pope Leo appealed to the world's major powers for an end to war in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter's Square since his election as pontiff and at the end of WW2 commemorations on May 11, 2025.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - MAY 11, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

8. POPE LEO ARRIVING AT CENTRAL BALCONY OF ST PETER'S BASILICA AND WAVING

9. CROWD WAVING

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO XIV SAYING:

"In today's dramatic scenario of a 'third world war' being fought piecemeal, as Pope Francis has repeatedly stated, I too appeal to the great ones of the world, repeating the ever-relevant plea: No more war!"

11. CROWD IN ST PETER'S SQUARE

Pope Leo on May 18, 2025, greeted and blessed Catholics as he arrived at and toured the Vatican aboard the Popemobile ahead of his inaugural Mass.

VATICAN CITY, ITALY (ARCHIVE - MAY 18, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

12. POPE LEO WAVING TO CROWD ON POPEMOBILE ON WAY TO SAINT PETER'S SQUARE, CROWD CHEERING

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - MAY 18, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

13. VIEW OF ST. PETER’S SQUARE

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO XIV SAYING:

"In the joy of faith and communion, we cannot forget our brothers and sisters who suffer from the wars. In Gaza, children, families, elderly survivors are starving."

15. POPE AT ALTAR

Pope Leo greeted world leaders and royalty at Saint Peter's Basilica after his inaugural Mass on May 18, 2025.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - MAY 18, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

16. POPE LEO SHAKING HANDS WITH AND SPEAKING TO UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, AND UKRAINE'S FIRST LADY, OLENA ZELENSKA

17. U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, JD VANCE AND HIS WIFE, USHA VANCE, GREETING POPE LEO

Hundreds of thousands of young people filled a vast field on the outskirts of Rome on August 2, 2025, for a chance to see Pope Leo, in the largest gathering yet of the new pope's tenure, as part of a weekend of special events aimed at energising the Catholic youth.

ROME, ITALY (ARCHIVE - AUGUST 2, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

18. AERIAL OF POPEMOBILE AND CROWDS AT TOR VERGATA

19. POPE WAVING AT PILGRIMS

20. AERIAL OF POPEMOBILE AND CROWDS

21. POPE WALKING TO ALTAR WITH YOUNG PILGRIMS CARRYING WOODEN CROSS

Pope Leo received a cake on September 14, 2025, to mark his 70th birthday. Cardinals sang "happy birthday" to the pope as he raised a glass in thanks.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - SEPTEMBER 14, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

22. POPE LEO BLOWING OUT CANDLE ON BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY

23. CARDINALS SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY / POPE LEO RAISING GLASS / PEOPLE CLAPPING

Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla had a private meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican on October 23, 2025. The King and Queen Camilla were on a state visit to the Vatican, marking the closer ties between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, five centuries after their turbulent separation.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - OCTOBER 23, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

24. POPE LEO ARRIVING / POPE SHAKING HANDS WITH BRITAIN'S KING CHARLES AND QUEEN CAMILLA

25. POPE, CHARLES AND CAMILLA POSING FOR PICTURE

Pope Leo visited Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque on November 29, 2025, removing his shoes in a sign of respect but not appearing to pray in his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church to a Muslim place of worship.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (ARCHIVE - NOVEMBER 29, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

26. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO ENTERING BLUE MOSQUE

27. POPE LEO WALKING WITH SOCKS

Pope Leo condemned violence in the name of religion on November 28, 2025, at a landmark event in Iznik with Christian leaders from across the Middle East. The ceremony, a celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, was the main reason for Leo's four-day visit to predominantly Muslim Turkey.

IZNIK, TURKEY (ARCHIVE - NOVEMBER 28, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

28. RELIGIOUS LEADERS WALKING ON BRIDGE OVERLOOKING THE RUINS OF BASILICA OF SAINT NEOPHYTOS

29. LEO SPEAKING DURING CEREMONY

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, along with officials and faithful, welcomed Pope Leo on November 30, 2025, upon his arrival at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (ARCHIVE - NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (HOST BROADCASTER - Access all)

30. POPE LEO WALKING ON RED CARPET WITH LEBANESE PRESIDENT JOSEPH AOUN AND HIS WIFE NAAMAT AOUN

31. POPE LEO AND AOUN TALKING (MUTE)

Pope Leo XIV visited on December 2, 2025, the site of the August 2020 port explosion in Beirut that left 218 people dead and thousands wounded. The Pope placed a wreath on the plaque and lit a candle before speaking to the relatives, who were waiting for the Pope nearby.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (ARCHIVE - DECEMBER 2, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

32. POPE PRAYING IN FRONT OF PORT EXPLOSION MEMORIAL

Pope Leo celebrated his first Christmas Eve service on December 24 at 10.00 p.m. (2100 GMT), in a change from previous years, when the event was held earlier.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - DECEMBER 24, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

33. POPE HOLDING BABY JESUS STATUE

34. POPE CARRYING BABY JESUS STATUE TO NATIVITY SCENE

During his first Christmas "Urbi et Orbi" address from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on December 25, Pope Leo delivered a solemn blessing to the city of Rome and the entire world.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - DECEMBER 25, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

35. POPE BLESSING CROWD

36. AERIAL VIEW OF SQUARE

Pope Leo officially closed the Catholic Church's Holy Year on January 6, 2026, pulling shut a special "Holy Door" in St. Peter's Basilica. The Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, was inaugurated by the late Pope Francis on December 24, 2024.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - JANUARY 6, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

37. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO CLOSING HOLY DOOR

Pope Leo made a one-day trip to Monaco on March 28, 2026, becoming the first pontiff in nearly five centuries to visit the wealthy Mediterranean enclave on the French Riviera. He arrived after a 90-minute helicopter ride from the Vatican and met first with Prince Albert, Monaco's head of state and son of the late Hollywood star Grace Kelly. The second smallest state in the world after the Vatican, and one of the last countries with Catholicism as the state religion, Monaco is globally known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts.

MONACO, MONACO (ARCHIVE - MARCH 28, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

38. POPE LEO SHAKING HANDS WITH PRINCE ALBERT AND OTHER MEMBERS OF ROYAL FAMILY OF MONACO

39. POPE LEO AND ROYAL FAMILY STANDING

Pope Leo washed the feet of 12 priests on April 2 as part of a special ritual before Easter and said the action, emulating a gesture of humility by Jesus on the night before he died, should inspire Catholics to care for those in need. The late Pope Francis preferred to hold the service outside churches, usually in prisons, homes for the elderly or hospices, continuing a practice he began as a bishop in Argentina. Vatican officials said Leo decided to wash the feet of priests this year to show support for Catholic clergy, who often work long hours and lead more than one parish.

ROME, ITALY (ARCHIVE - APRIL 2, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

40. POPE WALKING

41. VARIOUS OF POPE WASHING FEET OF LOCAL PRIESTS

Pope Leo marked the first Good Friday of his papacy, presiding over a traditional "Way of the Cross" procession at Rome's famed Colosseum on April 3. The pope stopped at various points inside the Colosseum to hear Bible readings, writings from St. Francis of Assisi, and the spiritual meditations, which focused extensively on social justice issues.

ROME, ITALY (ARCHIVE - APRIL 3, 2026) (RAI POOL - Access all)

42. VARIOUS OF POPE CARRYING CROSS THROUGH COLOSSEUM OVER AUDIO OF PRAYER

Pope Leo urged global leaders in his Easter message on April 5 to end the conflicts raging across the world and abandon any schemes for power, conquest or domination. The pope, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war, lamented in a special message to the thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square that people are growing accustomed to violence, becoming indifferent. Leo did not mention any specific conflicts in the message, known as the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing. It was unusually brief and direct.

VATICAN CITY (ARCHIVE - APRIL 5, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

43. CLERGY LINING UP

44. POPE WAVING FROM BALCONY

45. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO SAYING:

"Let those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace. Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue. Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them."

46. PEOPLE IN SQUARE APPLAUDING

ROME, ITALY (ARCHIVE - APRIL 5, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

47. POPE ON POPEMOBILE WAVING TO PEOPLE, BLESSING AN INFANT

Pope Leo said on April 7 that threats against the population of Iran were "unacceptable," in an unusual appeal hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said "a whole civilization will die tonight" in a social media post that shocked world leaders.

CASTEL GANDOLFO, ITALY (ARCHIVE - APRIL 7, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

48. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE LEO SAYING:

"Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable. There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole, entire population.''

Pope Leo set off on April 13 for an ambitious 10-day tour of four countries in Africa, in a bid to urge global leaders to address the needs on the continent where more than a fifth of the world's Catholics live.

ROME, ITALY (APRIL 13, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

49. POPE WALKING UP PLANE STAIRS, WAVING FROM OUTSIDE PLANE

Aboard the papal flight to Algiers, the pontiff told Reuters that he planned to continue speaking out against war after he was harshly criticised by U.S. President Donald Trump, who called Leo "terrible" in a social media post.

IN AIR (APRIL 13, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

50. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POPE LEO SAYING:

"I do not look at my role as being political, a politician. I don't want to get into a debate with him (U.S. President Donald Trump). I don't think that the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.''

On day two of his Africa trip, Pope Leo visited on April 14 the ruins of the ancient town of Hippo, in the Algerian northeast coast city of Annaba, where he planted an olive tree as a symbol of peace.

ANNABA, ALGERIA (APRIL 14, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

51. POPE LAYING WREATH

ANNABA, ALGERIA (APRIL 14, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA - News Use Only)

52. POPE PRAYING

Pope Leo called for peace on April 16 during a visit to Cameroon's anglophone region, leading prayers for unity before crowds in Bamenda.

BAMENDA, CAMEROON (APRIL 16, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA - News Use Only)

53. VARIOUS OF GIRL HUGGING POPE

54. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POPE LEO, SAYING:

"The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters."

DOUALA, CAMEROON (APRIL 17, 2026) (VATICAN MEDIA - Editorial news only)

55. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO BLESSING PATIENTS

56. POPE LEO TALKING TO NUNS AND RECEIVING FLOWERS OUTSIDE HOSPITAL AS CROWD CHEER

Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with U.S. President Donald Trump on April 18, saying reporting about comments he had made during his Africa tour "has not been accurate in all its aspects."

IN AIR (APRIL 18, 2026) (REUTERS - Access All)

57. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POPE LEO SAYING:

''The talk that I gave at the prayer meeting for peace a couple of days ago was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting. And yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate, again, the president, which is not in my interest at all.''

Pope Leo arrived in Angola on April 18, the third stop on a four-country Africa tour that has seen the U.S.-born pontiff strike a more forceful tone on war, corruption and the exploitation of the continent's resources.

LUANDA, ANGOLA (APRIL 18, 2026) (TPA ANGOLA - Access all)

58. POPE POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH ANGOLA PRESIDENT JOAO LORENCO

KILAMBA, LUANDA PROVINCE, ANGOLA (APRIL 19, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

59. POPE DRIVING IN POPE MOBILE AND WAVING AT CROWD

60. CROWD MOVING FORWARD AND CHEERING AS POPE ARRIVES

KILAMBA, LUANDA PROVINCE, ANGOLA (APRIL 19, 2026) (VATICAN TV – For News-use only)

61. BACK OF POPE IN POPE MOBILE WAVING AND BLESSING CROWDS

Pope Leo's four-nation Africa tour headed towards a dramatic close on April 22, with the pontiff speaking at Equatorial Guinea prison.

BATA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (APRIL 22, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

62. POPE SPEAKING

63. PRISONERS DANCING AND SINGING WITH VATICAN FLAGS IN THEIR HANDS

64. POPE LEO RECEIVING AND RAISING WOODEN CROSS

65. PRISONERS JUMPING AND CHANTING IN RAIN