It still may be hard to believe, but the new pope is from Chicago. In just a few days, those who consider Pope Leo XIV their own are headed to Rome for his installation ceremony. Six Augustinians from the Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park,

Many sites associated with past popes have become museums or holy destinations for the faithful. But Pope Leo XIV’s childhood church closed years ago.

In his first days as pope, Leo XIV has struck many as an unassuming man of quiet warmth and deeply rooted identity. A visit to the part of Chicago where the first American Pontiff was raised gives an idea of how he got that way.