How a boy from Chicago rose to become Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff

Before Pope Leo the 14th became the first American to head the Catholic Church, he was known as Robert Francis Prevost.

A boy from Dolton, a suburb just south of Chicago.

His journey left an imprint across the world … particularly across the Chicago area.

Here to break that down is NPR’s Senior Editor of Religion and Spirituality, Daniel Burke, and NPR’s host of All Things Considered, Scott Detrow.

They explore the pope’s life in their new book, “American Pope.”

And they say it’s the first comprehensive biography of the new pontiff.

HOST: LANE