Pope Leo XIV has laid out his vision for his papacy, identifying artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the most critical matters facing humanity and vowing to continue in some of the core priorities of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
But in a sign he was making the papacy very much his own, Leo made his first outing since his election to a sanctuary south of Rome that is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is of particular significance to his Augustinian order and to his namesake, Pope Leo XIII.
Townspeople of Genazzano gathered in the square outside the main church housing the Madre del Buon Consiglio (Mother of Good Counsel) sanctuary as Leo greeted and blessed them. The sanctuary, which is managed by Augustinian friars, has been a place of pilgrimage since the 15th century. The previous Pope Leo elevated it to a minor basilica and expanded the adjacent convent …