He had the good papal housekeeping seal of approval from Pope Francis, his predecessor, who put him in one of the top jobs in the Catholic Church. There, as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, he led the office that helped Francis choose bishops and, thus, determine the future of the church.

ROME — The new Chicago-raised Pope Leo XIV faces an immediate challenge in his native country: taming the brawling U.S. tribe of Catholics, riven by political divisions that have thwarted the will of his predecessors.

"I hope to be able to respond to [the challenges] with a healthy dialogue," said Cardinal Robert Prevost in 2023.