Pope Leo XIV: From the Americas, For the World
April 30–May 1, 2026
(Chicago and livestream)
With the new pope's hometown (and ours!) of Chicago as the backdrop, this hybrid conference delves into the first year of Leo XIV's new papacy, exploring the unique way that his biography bridges continents. Speakers from around the world will join us to examine
- Leo’s formative influences
- his connections between the Americas and other parts of the world
- his continuities and discontinuities with Pope Francis
- the future of the Church under his leadership, especially in terms of pressing issues like AI, synodality, sexual abuse, and climate change
Conference Speakers
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KEYNOTE: Greg Grandin (Yale University—New Haven, CT, USA)
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Afe Adogame (Princeton Theological Seminary—Princeton, NJ, USA)
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Michael J. Baxter (University of Notre Dame—South Bend, IN, USA)
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Daniel P. Castillo (Loyola Marymount University—Baltimore, MD, USA)
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Emilce Cuda (Pontifical Commission for Latin America—Rome, Italy)
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Toussaint Kafarhire Murhula, SJ (Arrupe Center for Research & Formation—Lubumbashi, DRC)
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Philip Larrey, SJ (Boston College—Boston, MA, USA)
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Steven P. Millies (Catholic Theological Union—Chicago, IL, USA)
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Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández (Hispanic Theology & Ministry Program, Catholic Theological Union—Chicago, IL, USA)
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César Piscoya (Latin American & Caribbean Bishops' Council—Bogotá, Colombia)
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Paola Ugaz (Nativa TV | Coauthor, Mitad Monjes, Mitad Soldados [Half Monks, Half Soldiers]—Lima, Peru)
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Christopher White (Georgetown University Initiative on Catholic Social Thought & Public Life—Washington, DC, USA)
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Shannen D. Williams (University of Dayton—Dayton, OH, USA)
Conference Organizers/Sponsors
Organized by DePaul University's Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology (CWCIT), World Catholicism Week is an annual event, now in its 17th year, that gathers scholars from around the world to explore a single topic. CWCIT is grateful to its conference cosponsors here at DePaul: