A pontiff and his people: Pope Leo XIV welcomes the world in his first 100 days
Pope Leo XIV blesses a baby during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Basilica on Aug. 13, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Staff, Aug 16, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has officially reached the 100-day mark of his pontificate. Elected as the 267th pope on May 8, the Holy Father has already participated in several historic moments — including speaking to over a million young people at the Jubilee of Youth — and has had beautiful encounters with the faithful from all over the world.
Here are some of the best moments of Pope Leo meeting pilgrims, visitors, and dignataries during his first 100 days.
*Pope Leo’s first general audience*
In his first general audience as pope, the Holy Father appealed for an end to hostilities in Gaza and for the entrance of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of decent humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is paid by children, the elderly, and the sick,” he said.
One month to the day since Pope Francis’ April 21 death, Pope Leo also recalled with gratitude the “beloved Pope Francis, who just a month ago returned to the house of the Father.”
One pilgrim in attendance was husband and father Chuma Asuzu. He traveled from Canada with his family to attend the pope’s first general audience.
Chuma Asuzu, who is Nigerian-born and living in Canada, is happy to have attended Pope Leo XIV's general audience on May 21, 2025, with his wife and children. Credit: Kristina Millare/CNA
“He made the point to drive around a lot because it was his first audience, and he looked emotional at the beginning,” he said referring to the pope’s first popemobile ride.
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*Pope Leo welcomes notable figures to the Vatican*
During his first 100 days, Pope Leo has welcomed several notable figures to the Vatican ranging from professional athletes to actors to politicians. Some of these individuals include U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentina President Javier Milei, professional tennis player Jannik Sinner, actor Jonathan Roumie, professional soccer team SSC Napoli, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, among others.
Pope Leo XIV shakes hands with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the papal library. The two had a private encounter before they were joined by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 19, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
In an interview with EWTN News Correspondent Colm Flynn, Roumie, known for his role portraying Jesus in the series “The Chosen,” called his meeting with the pope “fantastic.”
“He was so kind and so gracious and generous with his time,” he added.
“There was just a kindness on his face and just a charity about him that just moved me,” Roumie said.
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*Pope Leo gives heartfelt advice to newlyweds*
In a heartfelt moment, Pope Leo offered marriage advice to a young American couple days after their wedding, sharing how he was blessed by the example of his own parents who prayed the rosary together every day.
Cole and Anna Stevens received Pope Leo’s personal blessing for their marriage during one of the pope’s first general audiences on June 11, just four days after their wedding at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama.
“There was no rush in his voice. There was no looking around… He was solely focused on the question that Cole asked and then how could he answer it to the best of his abilities,” Anna Stevens said.
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*Pope Leo receives ‘Da Pope’ T-shirt from Chicago family*
A Chicago family vacationing in Rome made headlines after a video of their encounter with Pope Leo XIV went viral.
Marcel and Ann Muñoz, along with their three children, met the pope after Mass on July 20 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Pancras in Albano, a town about 16 miles south of Rome, and gifted him a T-shirt that reads “Da Pope” — a reference to “Da Bears,” which stems from the old “Superfans” sketches on “Saturday Night Live.”
The Muñoz family gives Pope Leo XIV a T-shirt that reads “Da Pope” after Mass in Albano, Italy, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
“He turned left, and he just kind of beelined towards us, so whatever it is, it’s like everyone else is, you know, very nicely dressed for a summer Mass except us — so we did kind of stick out,” Marcel Muñoz said, according to CBS News. “But you know, it’s one of those things where it’s like: ‘Hey, you’re going to be here once. Hopefully, you can catch his attention.’”
“How many people get this opportunity to be in front of the pope, to have his attention, to hold his hand? I kissed his ring, and you know, it’s such — you feel blessed,” Ann Muñoz said.
*The faithful welcome a pope back to Castel Gandolfo*
After Pope Francis in 2013 broke with the papal practice of escaping the Roman heat in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo continued the tradition — spending two weeks in July in the papal summer residence.
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The faithful in the small, Italian town welcomed him eagerly. During his time there, the pope visited St. Martha Home for the Elderly. After spending time praying in the chapel, the Holy Father personally greeted approximately 20 elderly people, all between the ages of 80 and 101.
He also greeted a young nurse and after prayer along with some songs, the pope addressed everyone, highlighting some themes from the songs and referring to that Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke.
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*Augustinian sisters sing for Pope Leo*
In a heartfelt moment, a group of Augustinian Sisters Servant of Jesus and Mary sang for the Holy Father during a meeting in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The pope, an Augustinian himself, was visibly moved by the encounter with the religious sisters.
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*Pope Leo celebrates Pentecost with the faithful*
In one of his first major feast day celebrations as pope, the Holy Father addressed roughly 70,000 pilgrims for the solemnity of Pentecost in which he urged them to embrace the Holy Spirit as a source of freedom and grace and called on the faithful to adopt “the way of the Beatitudes” to spread the Gospel message.
“Let us invoke the Spirit of love and peace, that he may open borders, break down walls, dispel hatred, and help us to live as children of our one Father who is in heaven,” the pope said.
“Brothers and sisters, Pentecost renews the Church and the world!” he added. “May the strong wind of the Spirit come upon us and within us, open the borders of our hearts, grant us the grace of encounter with God, enlarge the horizons of our love, and sustain our efforts to build a world in which peace reigns.”
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*1 million young people join Pope Leo for the Jubilee of Youth*
In what was his largest address of his pontificate thus far, Pope Leo told an estimated 1 million young adults to “study, work, and love according to the example of Jesus” and to pray: “Stay with us, Lord.”
The Jubilee of Youth took place in Rome from July 28 to Aug. 3. The pope took part in an evening prayer vigil and celebrated Mass with the young people at Tor Vergata — the same location where Pope John Paul II celebrated the jubilee in 2000.
One pilgrim who traveled from Omaha, Nebraska, to Rome for the jubilee was 29-year-old Clare Fletcher. She called the question-and-answers with Pope Leo during the Saturday prayer vigil “poignant and so relevant! Each spoke for us. Each spoke to our hearts.”
“This is a pope who knows the youth. His response was savvy, beautiful, and worth remembering, not to mention worth praying with for some time,” she said.
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