I wanted to love this book so much. Given how shortly after the election of Pope Leo XIV this book was published, I hadn’t expected this to be an in-depth biography. I did, however, expect it to be wholly about Cardinal Prevost/Pope Leo XIV.

The first 40% percent of the book is about Pope Francis and highlights from his papacy. Even when it transitions to Pope Leo XIV, the focus is on speculation on how he may or may not follow in Pope Francis' footsteps. I expected a tribute, of course, as there should be, but I would have preferred to have read about Cardinal Prevost’s background as the majority of the book. His history leading up to the start of his papacy and so forth. There were some anecdotes from his election, but those ended up feeling shoehorned in, deviating from the overall tone of the book.

What bothered me the most was how political it was. Worse, the book only mentions politics with buzzwords and internet headlines rather than an actual discussion of political issues. This felt contrary given Pope Leo’s call for dialogue, which had been stated several times before the publication of the book. I don’t find these books helpful in today’s political climate, especially when it comes to the Church, and it’s not something I want to read. I typically read these kinds of books when I have extended time before church and I had to put it down to recenter myself before Mass.

Needless to say, I’m extremely disappointed. The title is misleading and I think if it were different, it would reach a wider audience. I did enjoy the few moments that actually reflected on Pope Leo XIV as a person, but the rest left me feeling confused (this being predominantly a book about Pope Francis despite the title) or unsettled (the rage-bait political tidbits). I had been looking forward to reading the book that it claims to be, and what I read wasn’t it.

Thanks to Loyola Press and NetGalley for providing a free digital ARC of the book.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc of this book. It was a great informative book, but I felt it needed some organization. there were three sections of the book talking about the papacy and then Pope Francis‘s term as pope and then the ascension of Pope Leo XIV.
The insights into Pope Leo14th were fascinating, and I enjoyed them immensely.

Christopher White’s Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy is an informative, readable primer on the papacy and Vatican politics. Despite the title, it’s not really a biography — White offers only a high-level sketch of Leo’s life, with little more than a standard profile.

What the book does well is explain how Vatican politics, stretching from John XXIII through Francis, set the stage for Leo’s election. White writes clearly and engagingly, making sense of conclave dynamics and the long arc of reform.

The book came out just weeks after the conclave, and that speed shows. I would have preferred more depth on Leo himself and his style of leadership. Readers looking for a traditional biography may be disappointed; readers wanting context for how we arrived at a Pope Leo will find value here.

We’ve done quite a bit of travel this year, starting with a trip to the Vatican at the end of May, which included attendance at the weekly Papal Audience held on Wednesdays at St. Peter's Square where we got a chance to see and hear from the new Pope Leo XIV. In August we went to Spain to walk the Camino Primitivo, one of the pilgrimage routes which end at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, where the Apostle James is buried.

I’m not a religious person. I consider myself at best agnostic. However, I was raised Catholic, attended Catholic school, and still to this day understand the appeal of Catholic tradition and Catholic rituals. The purpose of the trip to Rome was to accompany my 90-year-old mother-in-law who had never been to the Vatican and wished to go before she died. The walk to Santiago de Compostela was a chance to experience the history and culture of a walk that started as a medieval tradition and to retrace the steps of the many who had gone before me - this was a walk that perhaps some of my distant ancestors may have taken.

Both of these recent experiences, along with my own background and the American-ness of the new Pope, put me in a “Catholic-curious” frame of mind, and open to reading Christopher White’s biography of Pope Leo XIV. I will confess that I’d never heard of Christopher White before picking up this book, nor did I expect too much from a biography that has been produced so quickly after the new pope’s assumption of the role.

But to my surprise this is not an “insta-biography”, instead it's a thoroughly researched and well written short book that explores not only the life (to date) of the new pope, but the context in which the conclave to elect the new pope took place. I now know that author White has been a Rome-based correspondent for the American newspaper National Catholic Reporter for several years and is recognized for being well-connected while objective in his reporting. Some of his personal interactions with those covered in this book (including the new pope) are included in this book, and they add a verisimilitude and “you are there” feel.

The book starts out by exploring the papacy of Pope Leo’s predecessor Francis. Francis had a missionary fervor and a strong belief that the church should be open and welcoming to all. When asked what he thought of gay people early in his papacy, Francis famously replied “Who am I to judge?”. He also famously responded to a reporter’s question about who he was by saying, “I am a sinner”. The notion of humble service and outreach to all was fundamental to the direction Francis wanted to take the church.

Francis’ leadership also challenged the Vatican power structure directly and indirectly. Perhaps most notably in that regard, he moved the leadership of the Catholic church toward “synodality”. Synodality is the notion that leading the direction of the church should be a role shared with all the people of the church and not restricted to the priesthood.

Francis used the general synod, held roughly every three to four years in recent papacies, as a vehicle to expand the range of voices heard in decision-making within the church. Some of these new voices from outside the priesthood (including women for the first time) Francis also chose for responsible roles within the Vatican. Many in positions of power within the Vatican were not happy with the changes that Francis was bringing about because it meant that their power centers were being disrupted and their power challenged.

With Francis’ demise those unhappy voices began to assert themselves, and as White describes, going into the conclave to elect Francis’ successor there were perceived to be three camps - those who wished to continue to move forward with the changes Francis was making, those who wished to do away with them altogether, and those who found Francis’ emphasis on outreach and a church open to all worth keeping, but not the synodality that threatened the Vatican power centers.

With all that as background it’s kind of amazing that the conclave took only two days to select Robert Francis Provost as the new pope. It was clear from his opening remarks that the first camp - those who wished to move forward with all of Francis’ changes - had easily prevailed. In his opening remarks Provost, now Pope Leo, explicitly said “we want to be a synodal church”.

And of course there is also a biography of Provost in this book. Concise but thorough, it outlines who Robert Francis Provost is, and what propelled him through his career as priest, then bishop, then head of the Augustinian order, and finally the Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops (the head of the body that reviews church leaders and recommends to the Pope those worthy of being promoted to the role of Bishop). We learn that Provost’s Catholic upbringing in the suburbs of Chicago led him to the priesthood in the Augustinian order, an order that emphasizes service and community, but it was his role as priest and then bishop in the Peruvian diocese of Chiclayo that solidified his service and leadership style.

I ended this slim book (less than 150 pages) with a better understanding of the new pope, along with a newfound appreciation for the direction that Francis has set for the Catholic Church, and that Leo appears certain to continue.

You can find all my book reviews on my book blog at https://steves-book-stuff.beehiiv.com/

Thank you with gratitude to the publisher, the author and Net Galley. My review opinion is my own. I was pleased to read and review this fascinating account of Pope Leo. The author captured his great American qualities of empathy and inclusion for all. The Anti conservative information was so appropriate as that movement is so dangerous to America and not in line with the humanity and standards of Pope Leo.
Here you will find the fascinating childhood background and religious history of the Pope. The author truly captures the exemplary character and morals of the new Pope. A true man of God.
A fast read for all interested in learning the background, standards, morals and experience of our new Pope. Well done to the author. This is a fascinating body of work. I appreciate the background research and procedural information.

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2025/09/05/book-review-pope-leo-xiv-inside-the-conclave-and-the-dawn-of-a-new-papacy-by-christopher-white/

This is so awesome to read about Pope Leo and his humble beginnings. He is going to be a great pope for the Catholic church

Considering how quickly this book was published after the conclave is amazing. It's not truly a biography but does give the reader insight into Pope Leo XIV. Recommended for those who want to have info about the Pope consolidated instead of having to read multiple news articles. Also gives insight into events leading up to his election.

It is no secret I am mildly obsessed with our new Supreme Pontiff.

I mean, look at that face!

That being said, looks do not make a man.

This is where a good biography comes in handy. And Christopher White has given us just that.

Starting with a lengthy background of the papacy and history of the church over the past century, White’s book takes us from Vatican II straight through to Pope Francis’ time in office. I appreciated this as nothing happens in a vacuum. He blends the past with Robert Prevost’s life as well as his career. It hits the sometimes slightly volatile relationship between Bergoglio and Prevost as well as their eventual friendship. Despite their differences, Pope Francis was able to see what no one else was seeing in this quiet servant of the church - leadership qualities, steadiness, and an ability to bring people together. White’s writing intertwines the papacy of Francis with the meteoric rise of Prevost, bringing us to Francis’ death and conclave. My only critique with the section on the conclave is how much information he has about this secret meeting and it’s accuracy. Other than that, I appreciated the little behind-the-scenes.

The last section of the book deals with Prevost’s selection as Pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Again, going back to the past with a short history on Pope Leo XIII and the reasons he took this name, helps to give us a better understanding of his choice. Last part is on the future of the Church under Pope Leo. The is quite a bit of speculation about what type of papacy he will have, which is natural, but I am glad most of it is given room to grow. Was he selected as the counterweight to a certain president or a bridge between two warring factions within the church over liturgy? It remains to be seen, but between Christopher White’s biography and the actions his holiness has taken since taking office have given me so much hope for the future. The calm I felt the moment this unknown walked onto the balcony in St. Peter’s square has been carried along through the last few months not just by his demeanor, but the way he carries this office, without American brashness, conceit, force. Just the same calm, decisive demeanor that defined his priesthood.

Thank you NetGalley for my Advanced Readers Copy!

I received a free copy of, Pope Leo XIV, by Christopher White, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I think a lot of people were shocked that our new pope is an American. Robert Prevost is from the suburbs of Chicago, but has worked a lot of his life in Peru. I was shocked when Pope Francis died, I was wondering who would are leader be, I have not been disappointed yet. This was a good read.

Christopher White has written an easy to read, informative book on not only Pope Leo XIV, but on the history of the conclave and previous Pope's. The book builds up from the past, ending with current events. Mr White is clear, concise, and does not let personal opinion form in his writing. I am now curious to read more articles by Mr White. Thanks to NetGalley, Mr White, and Loyola Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

To have this book written ten days after Pope Leo XIV was elected is nothing short of astounding. I can only imagine the sleepless nights and caffeine fueled work that must have gone in to producing this biography so quickly. Sure, it’s not the most in-depth biography of Pope Leo that will ever be written, but Christopher White has done an excellent job introducing us to our new Pope.

Because of this tight timeframe, the first part of the book does risk feeling a bit disconnected. Presumably the summary leading up to the Conclave was pre-prepared before the rest of the book could be written. In saying this, it does provide a useful background to the election of Pope Leo XIV.

Even better, some of the book is written from personal experience. The author had met with Pope Leo when he was Cardinal Robert Prevost. Uncannily, he seems to have suspected that Robert Prevost might be elected. Christopher White also found the time to interview a number of sources, and to trawl through the ex-Cardinal’s soon-to-be-deleted social media, which made for some interesting reading. As an introduction to Pope Leo XIV, I would highly recommend this book.

It’s commendable that this book was published so quickly after Robert Prevost was elected pope - kudos to Christopher White and to Loyola Press. Understandably this book is short and covers a quick window into Pope Leo XIV’s background, life, ecclesiastical experience, and how he operates. It also focuses quite a bit on Pope Francis and his approach, and sets the context for the current pope’s work before being elected pope and his elevation by Pope Francis into roles of increasing responsibility. No major revelations, ahas, or deep dive, but a simple encapsulation of what is known about the pope and how he has navigated his life so far in this short account. The writing style is reader friendly and moves along well. I appreciated that the author didn’t get too technical with church processes and provided explanations for readers who may not be familiar with words or terms related to the Catholic Church. I hope the author plans to write a follow up and more detailed book on Pope Leo XIV as the pope settles into his role and his papacy reflects his approach to leading the Catholic Church globally. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved many things about this book. The background information on Pope Francis was amazing. I really enjoyed visiting with him for a little while.

I also was impressed with all of the history on the Conclave and previous Popes. This information really did shed a light on the whole process.

I especially liked the information on Pope Leo, in particular, his childhood stories. It is obvious why he is so charismatic. His parents raised him to be loved, have respect for others, and to stay grounded in the truth. He is a remarkable Pope, and I truly believe he will make a difference in this world.

What I was less impressed with was the anti-American sentiments sprinkled throughout the second half of the book. To be honest, they made me uncomfortable. If the book was written without them, it would definitely be a 5 star read for me.

The anti-conservative bias in the text is annoying at times, but still valuable insider information on the legacy of Pope Francis and on the new Pope Leo!

Author Chris White starts with a brief history of the conclave. He then devotes about 35% of the text to Pope Francis and his reforms to the church. After Pope Benedict XVI retired, the Catholic Church entered a new era, moving away from the traditional conservative status quo supported by the Opus Dei Society. With Pope Francis came more progressive reforms, like prioritizing care for the poor and critiquing American capitalism. He angered both American Catholic bishops and African bishops by blessing same-sex unions.

When he passed away earlier this year, in 2025, the world wondered if the church would stay on this path or revert to traditional ways. It stayed the course with Pope Leo. Named after Leo XIII, who openly spoke out against American greed during the Industrial Revolution, Robert Provost became vocal against anti-immigration policies in America because he stressed love for all through missionary work.

Chris White tells the story of Pope Leo, who seemed destined to be pope. From his humble upbringing to his work for the people of Peru, he showed his love for others. While not much is known about him, White’s interviews with people who knew him best help give us more information about who he is as a person. This book was well written, but I wish there had been more about Pope Leo himself. The focus felt more on Pope Francis and the Catholic Church as a whole. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it’s a book you can easily read in one sitting.

Thank you to Net Galley and Loyola Press for a copy of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy by Christopher White

The story of Robert Prevost from childhood to Pope is handled ably by Catholic writer Christopher White. In these pages, readers will come to understand the background of both the figure Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic climate in which he is entering as the Pontiff of 1.5 billion Catholics throughout the world.

The first third of the book offers information on Pope Leo's immediate predecessors, particularly the late Pope Francis, in order for readers to grasp the beliefs the Vatican is upholding including points of contention within the Church. The story then covers the childhood and formation of Robert Prevost with emphasis on his years in Peru. Finally, the conclave and election of Robert Prevost as the 267th leader of the Catholic Faith is covered.

Christopher White has included numerous sources of information that add to the power of Robert Prevost's incredible rise as the first American Pope. Readers will appreciate this factual journey that does not overburden or deal in complexity.

The book offers a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the Vatican, which I found especially interesting as someone far removed from the Church. However, I had two significant issues with it.

First, the title is misleading. From Pope Leo XIV, I expected the book to focus primarily on the Pope himself—his personality, background, and life story. In reality, he only appears meaningfully in the second half. I was hoping for a deeper, more personal portrait, so this was disappointing.

Second, I was troubled by a particular passage discussing U.S.–Vatican relations, where the author referred to the Biden administration’s “effort to escalate the war in Ukraine.” For me, this is a huge red flag. If the author can present such a debatable and, in my view, inaccurate claim about current events, it raises doubts about the reliability of the rest of the work. In non-fiction, where readers expect factual accuracy, this is a serious concern. It left me questioning the credibility of the author’s other interpretations and conclusions.

We are all anxious to find out more information about the newest pope, Pope Leo XIV. Especially those from the USA.

This book by Christopher White is well written and the author is very familiar with the Vatican; (approximately) the first half of the book is about the most recent popes before the newly elected Pope Leo XIV and the process of electing a new pope. (The book is approximately 168 pages.) I kept getting the feeling that the first half of the book has been in progress and that the author was ready to gather as much info together and get this book to press just as soon as the new pope was elected. And I feel that he did that exceptionally well.

I loved to learn that the new pope does Wordle everyday! There was reference to an article about comments from the new popes brother. But some of the things I really loved were stories of his youth and that he really seems like he has been an especially wonderful young lad his entire life, "wanting to play priest" as a child.

I do enjoy memoirs and reading non-fiction and very glad that I had the opportunity to read the advance review copy via NetGalley and Loyola Press and the author Christopher White. Released July 2025. Between 4 & 5 stars.

This book is a strong and engaging introduction to the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo XIV. It’s especially helpful for readers who want to understand how Francis’s reforms shaped the Church and influenced the conclave that followed. The structure is clear and well-paced: it starts with an overview of Pope Francis’s legacy, then takes a close look at the recent conclave, and finally gives a short but informative glimpse into Leo XIV’s background and outlook.

The writing is accessible even for those who don’t have much prior knowledge of Vatican politics or Church governance. What stood out to me was how the author made the complex dynamics behind the scenes feel understandable without oversimplifying. While the section on Pope Francis takes up a fair amount of space, it does help set the stage for what follows.

I gave the book four stars because it’s a good, well-balanced overview—but I would’ve liked a bit more of everything, especially more depth on Pope Leo himself. Still, it’s a worthwhile read for anyone interested in recent Church developments and where things might be headed next.


* Huge thanks toward NetGalley and Loyola Press for providing a free e-copy for a honest review!