In prior interviews, Pope Leo XIV said he was open to a vocation to the priesthood because neighborhood priests were always in and out of his childhood, as his mother often fed them. "Now we know why her cooking was so good— both her mother and father were from New Orleans.

As a historically Catholic city, New Orleans was always going to celebrate the new pope. Zoom in: But once news broke that Pope Leo XIV has roots in New Orleans as a "Creole of color," the celebration leveled up considerably.

When Father Tony Ricard watched the new pope deliver his first address to the faithful Thursday in St. Peter’s Square, he felt an instant kinship.