For the past two weeks, people have wondered if having an American pope will be a good thing. On May 5, 2025, Cardinal Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, became the head of the Catholic Church as the successor to Pope Francis. The conversation immediately turned to his background as everyone wondered more about him.

When talking about him, people use words like Creole descent, New Orleans, Chicago and black. We know that he was born and raised in a mile south of Chicago in Dolton, IL, to parents of French, Italian (Father) and Spanish (Mother) heritage, with his mother’s side being from New Orleans. And for a lot of people, you could almost hear the pride in their voice when they spit out these familial facts about him, as if his lineage made him cool.

But what’s real is how the people from the southern regions have been so disregarded, namely New Orleans, but having some Creole makes him in some ways more relatable and armed with an understanding heart? Let’s also not forget that John Prevost, Pope Leo’s brother, told the New York Times their “maternal grandparents came from Haiti and were likely Creole, [although] they did not identify as Black.”

Those asking if the American pope will be a good one are plausible questions. As America sits on the global stage in the current political climate, it’s easy to understand why. As we watch people being pulled from their homes due to immigration policies, along with a trade war and divisive rhetoric, America seems to be all over the place. However, the pope represents Christ’s love, symbolizing unity and faith and what Pope Leo does with that title has less to do with America and more about him.

Being American doesn’t decide how you do the job. Hopefully, the principles that have carried him into priesthood—from America and beyond—will serve as a compass for how he leads. In the end, it won’t be his passport that defines his papacy, but his purpose.