The pontiff broke the news to 'NBC Nightly News' anchor Lester Holt, a former CBS2 Chicago anchor, in a brief one-on-one chat at the Vatican on Monday. Leo says he's heard that people are coming back to the church as a result of an American being named pontiff.

On "This Week," Cardinal Cupich said Pope Leo XIV may call for changes to the United States immigration system.

A Chicago-born cardinal walks into a conclave. The rest of the joke tells itself. In the breathless day since Pope Leo XIV’s election as the first American pontiff, the memes, doctored images and tongue-in-cheek references have piled up deeper than Chicago’s pizza and more loaded than its hot dog.

After waiting in line at the Vatican, Jason Perash of Colorado got the pontiff to autograph a ball. The pope is reportedly a Chicago White Sox fan.

Pope Leo XIV made history, but for his family, the announcement struck closer to home; Born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955, the pope grew up with his older brothers, Louis and John,

In his first audience with the press, the pontiff renewed his support for a more peaceful world and quoted his predecessor, Pope Francis, who had called for communication that is free from aggression.

Chicagoans celebrated the historic election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the U.S. and a Chicago native, with joy and hope for a renewed focus on social justice and unity within the Catholic Church.