NPR: Why Black Catholics in New Orleans Feel a Special Connection to Pope Leo XIV

“The city of Chicago has been celebrating the first American pope, Leo XIV. That makes sense. Leo was raised on the South Side and roots for the White Sox. But there’s another city that’s been claiming the pope as their own. Shortly after his election, [the] genealogist [Jari Honora] found that Leo has Creole roots in New Orleans that stretch back centuries. Rosemary Westwood, with member station WWNO, takes us to the city where Black Catholics are welcoming Pope Leo of the 7th Ward.”