Pope Leo XIV marvels at 'huge learning curve' in an interview released on his 70th birthday

ROME -- Pope Leo XIV has marveled astatine the "huge learning curve" helium has taken connected arsenic pontiff and likened immoderate aspects of the occupation to jumping "in connected the heavy extremity of the excavation precise quickly," successful excerpts of an interrogation released Sunday connected his 70th birthday.

History's archetypal American pope said helium had rapidly recovered his footing arsenic a pastor for the cosmopolitan Catholic Church, but discovered the diplomatic occupation of being pope was much challenging.

"The wholly caller facet to this occupation is being thrown onto the level of satellite leader," helium was quoted arsenic saying. "I'm learning a batch and feeling precise challenged, but not overwhelmed. On that 1 I had to leap successful connected the heavy extremity of the excavation precise quickly."

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The interrogation was conducted by Vatican analogous Elise Ann Allen for her forthcoming biography of Leo. Excerpts were published Sunday connected Allen's Catholic quality tract Crux, and successful the El Comercio regular of Peru.

In the excerpts, Leo spoke astir feeling some American and Peruvian, fixed his 20 years of missionary acquisition successful Peru. He said that acquisition gave him large penetration into and appreciation of the Latin American religion and Pope Francis' ministry arsenic history's archetypal South American pope.

Asked whether helium would basal for the U.S. oregon Peru successful a aboriginal World Cup, Leo drew parallels to his puerility successful Chicago and the worth of not shutting down opponents.

"Even astatine home, I grew up a White Sox fan, but my parent was a Cubs fan, truthful you couldn't beryllium 1 of those fans that unopen retired the different side," helium said. "We learned, adjacent successful sports, to person an open, dialogical, affable and not aggravated competitory stance connected things similar that, due to the fact that we mightiness not person gotten meal had we been!"

Francis promoted Leo to a apical occupation astatine the Vatican successful 2023, making wide helium viewed him arsenic a imaginable successor. Nevertheless Leo said helium wasn't afloat prepared for the occupation and inactive had a ways to go.

"There's inactive a immense learning curve up of me," helium said.

Faithful show a banner wishing blessed 70th day to Pope Leo XIV arsenic helium appears to bless the faithful gathered successful St. Peter's Square astatine the Vatican for the Angelus prayer.

AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Leo's 70th day is celebrated astatine the Vatican

The interrogation was released Sunday arsenic Leo marked his 70th birthday, which was celebrated astatine the Vatican during his accepted noon blessing.

Leo saw elephantine "Happy birthday" banners, successful English, Italian and Spanish, balloons and congratulatory signs held up by the faithful gathered successful St. Peter's Square. Groups of Peruvian believers, including dancers successful accepted attire, were retired successful force.

"My dears, it seems you cognize contiguous I person turned 70," Leo said to cheers. "I convey the Lord, my parents and each those who remembered maine successful their prayers."

Later Sunday, Leo was spending his day day presiding implicit an ecumenical supplication work successful grant of 21st-century martyrs.

When helium was elected past May astatine property 69, the erstwhile Robert Prevost was the youngest pope since 1978, erstwhile Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope John Paul II astatine property 58.

Many radical successful the quadrate knew it was Leo's day and wished him well, particularly fixed the value of work helium had taken connected to tally the Catholic Church.

"Well, helium decidedly needs a batch of support, due to the fact that helium has to transportation connected a pontificate during a peculiarly hard period, some for geopolitical issues and surely for interior matters," said Lorenzo Vecchio, a subordinate of a Catholic assemblage radical successful the piazza. "We are surely blessed that helium is simply a precise young pope."

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, for her part, issued a peculiar greeting thanking Leo for his preaching, which she said was a root of inspiration. Leo's teachings, she said successful a statement, "provide reliable and coagulated guidance successful highly analyzable times, erstwhile certainties look to waver and changes are arsenic abrupt arsenic they are profound."

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Associated Press video writer Paolo Santalucia successful Vatican City contributed to this report.