But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth ~ Luke 1:13-14

Preamble:

One sobering truth we all must understand and fully internalize is that every living creature is a comprehensive product of God’s supernatural act. For this reason, we will always need His supernatural power to be preserved, maintained and well kept here on earth (1Peter 1:3-5).

For instance, before God breathed life into man at the outset of creation, man was more or less like a mere clay, and a privileged dust being squeezed, by the holy hands of the Creator, into the shape of an empty and lifeless effigy (Genesis 2:7). Even now that we’re alive by His grace, we still cannot be without His supernatural energy; we always require His intervention for our daily sustenance on earth.

Divine intervention is experienced when God moves and acts to change the imminent outcome of a situation, by the act of His mercy. It is a “typical miracle” of God showing up in the interest of His people.

When God Intervenes In Human Affairs

We generally point to divine intervention when there is no other explanation, other than God, for how something happened. This could be in the context of salvation, a miraculous deliverance from lack, delusion, delay, untimely death, satanic bondages, barrenness, cruelty, shame, embarrassment or healing from an incurable disease.

Most times, God initiates these intervening acts of kindness by visiting us in our low estates, realigning our ways with what works for His will and repositioning our destinies, just to orchestrate inexplicable victories in our lives. He even sometimes physically boxes us into circumstances we don’t really like at the moment, just  to eventually bless us or protect us from harm.

How else could we explain the real-life scenario in the experience of Zachariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-14)? They were both well stricken in years, and Elizabeth was barren. It was such an astonishing moment when the Angel visited Zachariah; hence, he was so scared. Yes, that was a defining moment in their experience of supernatural intervention.

In 2 Kings 4:1-7, a poor widow owed so much money, and the creditors had come to take away her two sons in place of the money owed. At that point, God intervened to be her staff of comfort and consolation, and even gave her a life grant afterward, with many large vessels of oil to offset her debts and to live on.

Again, Simon Peter was locked up in prison, and was to be soon beheaded by Herod, like he did with James (Acts 12:1-17). In the nick of time, God intervened and sent an angel to set him free from an imminent untimely death. It was so swift and sudden that those who were offering prayers for his release could not help but dub Rhoda, the bringer of the good news, a “mad” young lady.

God is always on time! He’s never late in His ways and acts. If He appears late, still wait for Him. Lazarus actually died, and the Lord stepped into his case after four days. He called him out from the grave, and eventually reset his glorious destiny.

There are so many beautiful testimonies of supernatural intervention even in our contemporary times.

I know of a man who, few years ago, God strangely rescued from the jaws of death shortly after medical doctors pronounced him hopeless. God restored the kidneys, which had hitherto packed up. The skin also, which had turned black, peeled off to make room for a new layer of glowing skin tissues. God is great!

The Fragility of Man Versus The Almightiness of God

God is aware that man, today, lives in an environment that’s demon-infested and littered with several inundating challenges. Notwithstanding these negative realities, our issues can always be addressed and redressed by divine power, wisdom, insight and interventions (Isaiah 38:1-8).

The truth is, all power belongs to God, andHis superiority over everyone and everything is literally incredible (Psalms 62:11). Nevertheless, all men willing to enjoy preservation, gain momentum and succeed in their life's endeavors must ensure that the power of God is constantlyat work on their behalf.

Any attempt to live outside of God’s supernatural power will be a voyage doomed to end in futility and frustration.Why? It’s not possible to live peacefully on earth, and be truly sustained without theGod-Factor.

Friends, what’s that situation that you want God to take over? A bondage to sin or a debilitating habit? A miry clay experience? A debt? An arrested development of destiny or career path? A typical spiritual imprisonment? A sickness? A cyclone of hostility? An environment of tyranny and oppression? A seemingly endless family crisis? Or, whatever?

As God intervened in those days, He still does today. He is God, and He doesn’t change (Isaiah 41:10). He still intervenes, even in apparently impossible situations. Invite Him to that circumstance today and He will surprise you.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Call upon Him with all your heart. Report that concern to Him. Produce your cause; bring forth your strong reason (Isaiah 41:21). Tell Him exactly what you want. Ask Him to do something particularly. Believe Him with all your heart. He will deliver you and bless you relentlessly, and you shall glorify Him.

Please, lay it to mind that this is our season of supernatural experience, a season in which we can encounter God as we draw closer to Him. Shiloh has come, and with Him a season wherein we will enjoy supra-natural favour wherever we go (Genesis 49:10).

The Most High God is good and He’s alive, and nothing is impossible for Him. Thus, you can receive any miracle, even now. Be highly expectant! God will visit you, and you shall become blessed and empowered beyond curses and, at last, you will become too relevant to be ignored. Alleluia!

Nonetheless, be sure you wholly rely on the Holy Spirit, cooperating very well with Him and functioning only to His specifications. When you do, the hands of the Lord will liftyou out of every negative circumstances, and you will begin to enjoy incredible dimensions of an out-of-this-world experience (1 Peter 1:13-19). You won’t miss this, in Jesus name. Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Archbishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

Plantains, cassava and fermented banana drink should be added to global healthy eating guidelines alongside the olive oil, tomatoes and red wine of the Mediterranean diet, say researchers who found the traditional diet of people living in Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region had a positive impact on the body’s immune system.

Traditional foods enjoyed in rural villages also had a positive impact on markers of inflammation, the researchers found in a study published this month in the journal Nature Medicine.

Quirijn de Mast, one of the paper’s authors, said they were now in a race against time to record and study the potential benefits of African heritage diets before they disappear as people move to cities and adopt western-style eating habits.

“Time is ticking because you see that these heritage diets are being replaced more and more by western diets,” he said. “We will lose so much interesting information [from which] we can learn – and not only for Africa.”

In previous research, the team had established that people following the traditional way of life in rural areas had a different immune-system profile to urban dwellers, with more anti-inflammatory proteins. Chronic inflammation is a key driver of many non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

The new study set out to establish whether diet played a role. For a fortnight, 77 young men in their 20s and 30s were switched from heritage to western-style diets, or the reverse – with blood samples taken at the start and end, and again four weeks later.

Meals on the heritage diet menu included green plantain mixed with kidney beans, boiled chicken served with green vegetables and brown rice and beans. On the western-style menu, they included pizza, fried chicken and french fries and spaghetti served with beef stew.

Those newly adopting a western-style diet saw inflammatory markers in their blood increase and tests suggested their immune systems did not respond as well to infections. They also gained weight. By contrast, switching from a western diet to a heritage diet had a largely anti-inflammatory effect, and blood markers linked to metabolic problems fell.

In a third arm of the trial, participants following a western-style diet were asked to drink the local fermented banana beverage, known as mbege, for one week. That group also saw improvements in markers of inflammation.

For Godfrey Temba, the first author of the paper and a lecturer at KCMC University in Moshi, Tanzania, the findings were not a surprise. “When we are in most of the villages, talking to elderly people [of] 80 or 90 years, they are very healthy. They don’t have any health complications [and] they tell you about consuming this type of diet and this beverage since they were 25.”

However, the diet and its benefits have not been explored and documented – unlike the traditional diets of the Mediterranean and Nordic countries, which are promoted by the World Health Organization for their beneficial effects.

Temba said: “We think this is the right time … so that [African heritage diets] can be also included in the global guidelines of diets, because they really have a health benefit – but because it’s not studied extensively, it’s not easy to convince [people] that they are healthy, because you don’t have enough data.”

The diet’s components, such as flavonoids and other polyphenols, and its impact on the gut microbiome were likely to play a part in the observed effects, De Mast said.

The study was conducted only in men for logistical reasons, but the researchers said they would expect similar findings in women, and for benefits to be maintained over time if people continued the diets.

Many African countries are facing rising rates of NCDs such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

De Mast, who holds positions at KCMC University and Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, said research priorities in Africa had historically been determined by countries in the global north with a focus on infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. “Research on [things like] immunology has been neglected. I hope it will change now, with the rapid rise in NCDs, because that will be a major challenge for health systems across Africa.”

Nutritional guidelines also tended to “translate what we know from the north to Africa”, he said. “I think you should have, really, region-specific recommendations based on scientific data.”

The team is now testing what impact adopting a heritage diet can have on Tanzanians living with obesity, including whether it can boost their response to vaccines, and plan to compare different regional heritage diets.

“There’s so much diversity in dietary patterns across Africa – or [even just] in Tanzania,” said De Mast. “Godfrey is in Kilimanjaro region, but 30km down the road there is the Maasai tribe and their diet is entirely different. It’s mainly animal protein based – still, traditionally, cardiovascular disease was almost absent.

“So I think this is just the beginning of research looking at these heritage diets.”

But it’s also extremely important. One of the Guardian’s greatest assets is its reader-funded model. 

The Guardian, UK

Tensions have escalated between major oil marketers and the Dangote petroleum refinery as they compete for control of Nigeria's downstream oil sector.

Aliko Dangote recently stated his $20bn refinery is "fighting for survival" against what he describes as sabotage by oil sector cabals resisting local refining. Despite this, he expressed confidence in eventual success.

Between March 1 and May 9, 2025, marketers imported 2.57 billion liters of petrol valued at approximately N2.42tn, choosing foreign suppliers over the Dangote facility. March saw imports of 755.7 million liters, April surged to 1.47 billion liters, and the first 10 days of May brought in 331.33 million liters.

Dangote has previously alleged that international oil companies denied his refinery adequate crude supply, and accused the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority of issuing import licenses for substandard products.

The NMDPRA reports daily petrol imports have declined by 67% from August 2024 to April 2025, dropping from 44.6 million to 14.7 million liters, attributed to increased supply from Dangote, Port Harcourt, and modular refineries.

DAPPMAN Executive Secretary Olufemi Adewole warned of an emerging monopoly, dismissing "cabal" allegations but acknowledging vested interests among depot owners who've invested billions. He claimed Dangote's facility cannot yet meet local consumption needs and that the refinery prefers selling to selected marketers rather than offering bulk depot loading.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Abdullahi Ganduje, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), suggested that a one-party system could be beneficial for Nigeria. He made these remarks on Friday after accompanying three PDP senators from Kebbi state—Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki—who announced their intention to defect to the APC during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

When questioned about whether the trend of opposition politicians joining the ruling party might lead Nigeria toward a one-party state, Ganduje pointed to China as an example of a successful single-party system.

"If a one-party state is a wish and blessing to Nigeria... a one-party state is not by force," Ganduje stated. "One party state is by negotiation, and it is by other political parties seeing the effect of the positive governance of our party."

He added, "You know they say too many cooks spoil the soup — too many political parties spoil governance. China is one of the strongest countries in the world, and it's a one-party system. We are not saying we are working for a one-party system, but if that is the wish of Nigerians, we cannot quarrel with that."

Ganduje mentioned that Tinubu has "graciously blessed" the senators' decision to join APC, encouraging observers to "go and see what will happen in the chambers" on Tuesday.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Gunmen shot dead at least 30 travellers in an attack in Nigeria's southeastern Imo state, Amnesty International said on Friday, raising fresh concerns about violence in a region rife with insecurity.

More than 20 vehicles and trucks were set ablaze by the attackers, who were suspected to be members of the banned separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Amnesty said in a post on X.

Imo police spokesperson Henry Okoye confirmed the attack occurred in Thursday's early hours, but declined comment on the number of fatalities. One of the assailants was killed by the police, Okoye told Reuters on Friday.

A police statement said the gunmen, operating in three groups, barricaded the highway at about 0400 GMT and shot sporadically before setting vehicles ablaze.

"A full-scale search and cordon operation is currently underway, with security operatives combing nearby forests and surrounding areas where the suspects are believed to be hiding," the police said in the statement.

IPOB campaigns for the secession of southeastern Nigeria, where the majority belong to the Igbo ethnic group. Nigerian authorities have labelled IPOB a terrorist organisation.

Civil war engulfed the Biafra region in the late 1960s, killing more than 1 million people.

Thursday's attack coincided with a visit by President Bola Tinubu to the region, occurring in the same week that IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu appeared in federal court where he is facing trial on terrorism charges.

Amnesty called on Nigerian authorities to investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Reuters

Israel won't be involved in new Gaza aid plan, only in security, US envoy says

A U.S.-backed mechanism for getting aid into Gaza should take effect soon, Washington's envoy to Israel said on Friday ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East, without detailing how this would work with no ceasefire in place.

Gaza's residents face possible famine, the U.N. says, with Israel enforcing a months-long blockade on aid to the small Palestinian enclave and vowing to expand its military campaign against Hamas militants after breaking a truce in March.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said several partners had already committed to taking part in the aid arrangement, which would be handled by private companies, but declined to name them, saying details would be released in the coming days.

"There has been a good initial response," the former Republican governor told reporters at the embassy in Jerusalem.

"There are nonprofit organisations that will be a part of the leadership," he said, adding that other organisations and governments would also need to be involved, though not Israel.

Tikva Forum, a hawkish Israeli group representing some relatives of hostages held in Gaza, criticised the announcement, saying aid deliveries should be conditional on Hamas releasing the 59 captives in Gaza.

Hamas senior official Basem Naim said the plan was close to "the Israeli vision of militarising aid" and said it would fail, at the same time warning local parties against "becoming tools in the Zionist occupation's schemes".

Trump, who seeks a landmark deal that would see Israel and Saudi Arabia establish diplomatic relations, will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week.

Trump had teased a major announcement ahead of the trip. It was unclear if that was what Huckabee announced on Friday.

Anticipation has been building about a new aid plan for Gaza, laid waste by 19 months of an Israeli air and ground war against Hamas that has destroyed much of the infrastructure and displaced most of its 2.3 million population several times.

"It will not be perfect, especially in the early days," Huckabee said. "It is a logistical challenge to make this work."

European leaders and aid groups have criticised a plan by Israel, which has prevented aid from entering Gaza since ditching a two-month-old truce in March, for private companies to take over humanitarian distributions in the enclave.

Israel has accused agencies including the United Nations of allowing aid to fall into the hands of Hamas, which it has said is seizing supplies intended for civilians and given them to its own forces or selling them to raise funds. Hamas denies this.

CRITICISM OF AID PLANS

"The Israelis are going to be involved in providing necessary military security because it is a war zone, but they will not be involved in the distribution of the food or even bringing the food into Gaza," Huckabee told a press conference.

Asked whether the supply of aid hinged on a ceasefire being restored, Huckabee said: "The humanitarian aid will not depend on anything other than our ability to get the food into Gaza."

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Friday criticised emerging plans to take over distribution of aid in Gaza floated by both Israel and the United States, saying this would increase suffering for children and families.

A proposal is circulating among the aid community for a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that would distribute food from four "Secure Distribution Sites", resembling plans announced by Israel earlier this week, but drew criticism that it would effectively worsen displacement among the Gaza population.

Huckabee said there would be an "initial number" of distribution centres that could feed "perhaps over a million people" before being scaled up to ultimately reach two million.

"Private security" would be responsible for the safety of workers getting into the distribution centres and in the distribution of the food itself, Huckabee said, declining to comment on rules of engagement for security personnel.

"Everything would be done in accordance with international law," he said.

Mediation efforts by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have not been successful in implementing a second phase of the ceasefire. Israel demands the total disarmament of Hamas, which the Islamist group rejects.

Hamas has said it is willing to free all remaining hostages seized by its gunmen in attacks on communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and agree to a permanent ceasefire if Israel pulls out completely from Gaza.

Hamas' attacks on October 7, 2023 killed 1,200 people and 251 were taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's campaign has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run health authorities.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia and Ukraine accuse one another of ceasefire violations

Ukrainian troops have made further attempts to breach the Russian border in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday as President Vladimir Putin hosted world leaders at a major military parade in Moscow.

The Defence Ministry said the attacks occurred during a three-day ceasefire running from May 8-10 that Russia has unilaterally declared to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Ukraine has called the ceasefire a "farce" and on Friday documented scores of armed clashes.

It noted in particular, northeastern Sumy region, site of some of the heaviest Russian assaults in recent weeks, saying there had been no letup during the Kremlin-inspired ceasefire.

"There has been no 'ceasefire' in Sumy region on the 8th or 9th of May. Over the two days Russia has killed three civilians, the region's military administration said on Telegram.

Ukraine's military, in its account late on Friday of battlefield operations, said 162 armed clashes had been recorded over the past 24 hours, with the Kremlin ceasefire in effect, along with 22 air strikes and 956 drone attacks.

It noted heavy fighting near Pokrovsk, a logistics hub in eastern Ukraine targeted by Moscow's troops for months. Russian forces had attempted to break through Ukrainian lines 51 times.

The Russian Defence Ministry account said it had registered four attempts by Ukrainian forces to smash through the border into the Kursk and Belgorod regions in the past week.

In eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's troops had attacked Russian forces 15 times during the ceasefire, the ministry said.

Ukraine has said Russia had repeatedly breached its own truce this week. The governor of the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region said on Friday that Russia hit eight Ukrainian frontline villages 220 times since the ceasefire went into effect.

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In Russia's Belgorod border region, the local governor said a Ukrainian drone had attacked a government building on Friday.

In Kursk, Ukrainian troops launched a major incursion last August and held onto a chunk of Russian territory for many months as Moscow's forces battled to eject them with help from North Korean soldiers. Some fighting has continued, even after Putin last month declared "victory" in Kursk.

Ukraine said its troops had repelled 19 attacks in the region.

Rybar, a pro-Russian war blogger, said there was "high-intensity fighting" between Russian and Ukrainian troops near Tetkino, a village in the region. Rybar and other bloggers said Ukrainian attacks on multiple villages in the neighbouring Belgorod region were continuing on Friday.

Reuters could not independently verify statements by war bloggers or battlefield reports from either side.

Ukraine and Russia both accused the other of repeatedly violating a previous 30-hour Easter ceasefire declared by Putin.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian forces attempted to breach border four times during Moscow’s Victory Day truce – MOD

Ukrainian forces have attempted four cross-border incursions into the Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod since the start of Moscow’s 72-hour ceasefire, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian forces continued to conduct military operations despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a Victory Day ceasefire from midnight May 8 to midnight May 11, the ministry said on Friday.

Apart from the incursion attempts, Ukraine launched 15 smaller-scale attacks on a number of settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, according to the statement.

The Ukrainian military also continued missile and artillery attacks against Russian frontline positions, the ministry said. The Russian military has recorded 5,026 attacks since the ceasefire came into force. The assaults involved around 1,500 instances of artillery shelling and 3,502 drone strikes, it added.

Russia responded with tit-for-tat actions, according to the ministry.

Putin announced the ceasefire last week, describing it as a humanitarian gesture to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, which he said could also serve as a catalyst for “the start of direct negotiations with Kiev without preconditions.”

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky dismissed the initiative, calling it a Russian ploy and an “attempt at manipulation.” Kiev has ramped up drone strikes on Russian territory, with the Defense Ministry reporting a record 524 UAVs being shot down on Wednesday alone.

Nevertheless, the Ukrainian leader said on Thursday that Kiev is ready for a “complete ceasefire” without any preconditions at any moment, but insisted that it should last at least 30 days.

Russia has said it is ready for direct talks with Ukraine “without preconditions,” and has advocated for a permanent resolution to the conflict that addresses the root causes. It has also warned that Kiev could use a temporary truce to regroup its forces and replenish its military equipment and ammunition.

Reuters/RT

The 25,000 residents of Lice, a town in Turkey’s Diyarbakır province, involuntarily got high after police burned tens of tons of seized cannabis in the town center.

On April 18, Turkish authorities conducted an operation to burn over 20 tons of confiscated cannabis in Lice, which caused the air in the settlement to become thick with weed smoke. For at least five days, people couldn’t leave their windows open and avoided going out, for fear of becoming intoxicated and experiencing symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and hallucinations. The destroyed cannabis, valued at 10 billion Turkish Lira ($261,433,808), weighed 20 tons 766 kilos 679 grams and had been seized from all over Diyarbakır province during 2023 and 2024.

“The smell of drugs has been enveloping the district for days,” a local man complained. We cannot open our windows. Our children got sick, we are constantly going to the hospital.”

The Chairman of the Yeşil Yıldız Association, Yahya Öğer said that, although the success achieved by authorities in the fight against drugs is important, the manner in which the cannabis was destroyed was incorrect. He emphasized that arranging the bags of weed to form the name of the town, LICE, in burning letters only added insult to injury.

“This was perhaps done as a preventive measure to deter, but the fact that it was destroyed in the city center could cause serious discomfort to people due to the smoke of burned hemp,” Öğer told reporters, adding that his association recommends that police dispose of the cannabis in factories with filtered chimnies, to prevent the smoke from affecting the local population.

“As you know, the destruction or burning of such herbs can also cause serious intoxication,” Öğer explained. “Just as tobacco harms passive smokers when used in a closed area, the smoke released by such narcotic substances when disposed of can cause serious discomfort to people on the other side. It can make people drunk, dizzy, nauseated, and cause hallucinations.”

Oddity Central

Developing healthy, lifelong connections is something that Mark Groves knows all about: He equips individuals with the skills they need to strengthen their relationships through his online membership community, Create the Love. Companies also hire him to help their teams work better together and maintain healthy work ties.

"I was 27 and I started studying relationships. I thought, 'Why is no one teaching us this?' Everything I would learn, I would just think to myself, 'Why wasn't there a class?'" Groves says.

He began writing about the complexities of relationships — including his personal ones. He studied positive psychology and eventually began training others to establish their own healthy connections.

"The most amazing thing I learned over all this time is that anyone can have exceptional relationships, that they're something you create. They're not done by luck," Groves says.

"We are an active participant in every relationship in our lives, which means that we could take 100% responsibility for our side of things.”

In an article he wrote for his Substack in 2023, Groves shared recommendations for how you can form healthy relationships. Here’s what he suggests:

• Take stock of what you do, or tolerate from others, that hurts you or other people
• Process the feelings that arise from facing how you've shown up in relationships
• Alchemize the emotions like fear or hurt and use them for growth

"Great relationships are created,” Groves says. “And everyone can learn the skill set to create exceptional relationships.”

CNBC

Former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States was selected Thursday by the papal conclave to succeed Pope Francis and lead the Roman Catholic Church. The new pontiff, who has taken the name Leo XIV, is the first American pope. But what else do we know about him?

Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, a school administrator and World War II naval veteran, was of French and Italian descent; his mother, Mildred Martinez, descended from Creole people of color in New Orleans. In addition to English, the new pope speaks Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese; he can read Latin and German.

Prevost is an Augustinian, meaning he belongs to a Catholic order known for its commitment to community and sharing. He is the first Augustinian pope, according to the Vatican.

Pope Leo's rise through the Catholic Church

Prevost attended secondary school at an Augustinian seminary and officially joined the order in 1977, when he was 22. In between, he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics at Villanova University. Five years later, Prevost was awarded a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and he traveled to the Augustinian College of Saint Monica in Rome to be ordained. Prevost later received a doctorate in canon law from Rome’s Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Prevost went on to spend much of his adult life abroad. While preparing his doctoral thesis, he was sent to the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru. He returned to Peru in 1988 and spent the next 10 years leading the Augustinian seminary in Trujillo; he also taught canon law, served as an ecclesiastical judge, and led his own congregation. He eventually became a naturalized citizen there.

From 1999 to 2014, Prevost worked in Chicago, where he first led the city’s Augustinian Province and then served two six-year terms as head of the Augustinians. Like other cardinals, he has been criticized for his dealings there with priests accused of sexual abuse.

Prevost returned to Peru in 2014; Pope Francis soon named him bishop. Until Francis’s death, Prevost “held one of the most influential Vatican posts, running the office that selects and manages bishops globally,” according to the New York Times.

What kind of pope will Leo be?

In his first remarks after being chosen as the new pontiff Thursday, Pope Leo outlined his vision for the Catholic Church.

"We have to seek together to be a missionary church. A church that builds bridges and dialogue," he said, according to an English translation of his remarks, which were mostly in Italian. He also called on people to "show our charity" to others "and be in dialogue with love."

Leo paid tribute to the late Pope Francis as well, saying, "Let us keep in our ears the weak voice of Pope Francis that blesses Rome. The Pope who blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world that morning of Easter. Allow me to follow up on that blessing. God loves us. God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail."

The fact that Leo, like Francis, hails from the Americas — and spent decades in Francis’s native South America — suggests a degree of continuity. The conventional wisdom ahead of this week’s conclave was that an American would not be chosen as pontiff. Does this mean Leo will champion greater inclusion and openness to change, like his predecessor?

The earliest clues suggest he might.

What are Leo's political views?

While “often described as reserved and discreet,” according to the Times — a stylistic departure from the more gregarious Francis — Leo named himself after Pope Leo XIII, a turn-of-the-20th-century modernizer. Leo XIII was known as the “Social Pope” and the "Pope of the Workers” for his writings on social justice, fair wages, safe labor conditions and trade unions.

Along similar lines, Prevost resurfaced on X in February of this year — after a long absence — to repost an opinion column from the National Catholic Reporter about how Vice President “JD Vance is wrong” because “Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others.”

The column criticized Vance for interpreting a medieval concept known as ordo amoris to mean that “you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world.”

“A lot of the far left has completely inverted that,” Vance complained in January.

Yet the column insists that “Jesus never speaks of love as something to be rationed. He speaks of love as abundance — a table where there is enough for everyone.”

This is “what the gospel asks of all of us on immigration,” Prevost wrote on X when he later reposted another story critical of the Trump administration's treatment of migrants.

Most recently, in April, Prevost shared an X postthat questioned the Trump administration's deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

"Do you not see the suffering?" the post read, quoting the story it linked to. "Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”

Prevost joined X (then Twitter) in 2011. Throughout Trump's first term, he shared tweets

On the other hand, it’s unclear whether Prevost (now Leo) will be as accepting of LGBTQ Catholics as Francis was. In a 2012 address to bishops, he lamented that Western media and culture had fostered “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel,” citing the “homosexual lifestyle” and “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.”

Since then, he has been quiet on the subject.

Yahoo News