Pope Leo XIV has made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop. The nomination signals Leo is continuing the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with Beijing, which was one of Pope Francis' most controversial foreign policy decisions.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro to head the academy; he says he will focus on artificial intelligence, bioengineering and end-of-life issues.

According to Gates Jr., Pope Leo is also related to Boucher de Grandpre, who fought against the British during the Revolutionary War with the Louisiana militia, as well as Antonio José de Sucre, who opposed Spanish forces during the Battle of Ayacucho.

Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager, was meant to be made a saint in April, but the ceremony was postponed because of Pope Francis’ death.

The new pope appears to be a big hit with visitors to the Vatican, yet he's not generating much headline news, despite his global platform.

Michael Pham, who was named bishop of San Diego, California, by Pope Leo in May, wrote a letter about the action on Wednesday, along with Rev. Felipe Pulido and Rev. Ramón B

Abuse experts and survivors express a mix of tentative hopes and low expectations for how Pope Leo might address discipling abusers, supporting victims and ensuring that the church is a safe environment for all.

One of the greatest challenges facing Pope Leo XIV is financial. He has inherited the Holy See’s chronic, 50 million to 60 million euro ($57-68 million) structural deficit, a 1 billion euro ($1.14 billion) pension fund shortfall and declining donations.