I set out early on the morning of Nov. 12, 2025, from the Grand Hotel Olympic, making my way along the cobblestoned streets of Rome with a resolute purpose in mind.

One way I could capitalize on arriving at St. Peter’s Square nearly four hours in advance of Pope Leo XIV’s outdoor papal audience would be by securing a prime seat pressed right up against the security barricade.

I was poised to get a good glimpse and snap a decent picture of The Pope as it was guaranteed that he would pass right by me in the Popemobile on his way to the stage outside of St. Peter’s Basilica.

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Thank goodness my fellow pilgrims from Toronto and I arrived so far ahead of time, allowing us to avoid the mad dash to procure one of the few remaining good seats. I learned from experience at the last consistory hosted by the late Pope Francis on Dec. 7, 2024, that the regulars at Vatican events – notably the religious sisters – know how to let their elbows fly to gain the inside track.

Shortly after 10 a.m., near the end of his journey around the square, waving to the crowd and blessing babies along the way, the Popemobile approached my vantage point. Thrilled, I snapped a photo of Pope Leo XIV, just inches in front of me, smiling and waving to the reverent crowd. His raised hand is positioned near the sun in the photo, naturally creating a radiant flare effect.

Upon reflection, I believe the imagery of beams of light shining on The Pope is quite a fitting metaphor for the first year of his papacy.

Ever since the man formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost first emerged onto the Loggia of the Blessings to present himself to the world following the papal conclave, he and the Universal Church at large have basked in rays of good fortune.

Pope Leo XIV received immediate credit, rightfully so, for his purposeful and deeply thoughtful papal name choice. He declared through this action and many statements in the days, weeks and months that followed that he wants to meet this artificial intelligence revolution the way Pope Leo XIII rose to the occasion to shepherd the faithful during the Second Industrial Revolution.

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He has earned goodwill among both Catholic and secular audiences through his calls to uphold human dignity as civilization enters a new epoch. The tone he has struck so far is effectively building interest in his anticipated encyclical on AI.

The vigour Pope Leo exudes at 70 years old is another blessing for the Church. Regimens at the Omega Fitness Club, swimming and playing tennis have equipped him to thrive in a physically demanding job. He garnered both admiration and surprise for becoming the first Pope Friday since Saint John Paul II in 1994 to personally hold the wooden cross through all 14 stations on Good.

His elevation to the Chair of St. Peter at a significantly younger age than his two most recent predecessors enables him to complete more demanding travel around the world, thus potentially growing the Catholic Church’s diplomatic and evangelistic footprint.

The Bishop of Rome is definitely capturing the world’s notice and fascination. More than three million pilgrims and visitors attended papal audiences, liturgies and meetings with Pope Leo XIV from May to December 2025, according to the Prefecture of the Papal Household. The value of his being a polyglot – English, Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese – goes a long way in drawing people to the faith and should not be underrated.

You may or may not agree with his stances related to the U.S. and Israel military campaign in Iran, but there is no doubt Pope Leo XIV is reasserting the Church’s prophetic voice on this conflict, the four-year Russo-Ukrainian War, and many other complex geopolitical matters. His champions laud him for striving to bring forth rays of ethical certainty in a world naturally wired towards moral ambiguity.

One caveat is China. To date, he has not yet made many strong statements of denunciation against the blatant state-driven persecution of Christians. Hopefully, guided by the Holy Spirit, he will discover his own voice on this important file and speak out strongly against the apparent injustices. Turning the world’s attention to the plight of Nigerian Christians consistently would also be an appreciated mark of leadership from him.

Bishop Scott McCaig of Canada’s military ordinariate recently told hundreds of Calgary Catholics at a diocesan renewal conference that the world is “still learning about Pope Leo.”

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I, likely along with Register readers, am curious to find out what we discover about him in year two of his pontificate.