The pope's Creole roots in New Orleans are a source of pride among the city's Black Catholics. But the revelation also recalls a painful chapter in the city's past. “In New Orleans, everyone treats visitors as family.

When Father Tony Ricard watched the new pope deliver his first address to the faithful Thursday in St. Peter’s Square, he felt an instant kinship.

As a historically Catholic city, New Orleans was always going to celebrate the new pope. Zoom in: But once news broke that Pope Leo XIV has roots in New Orleans as a "Creole of color," the celebration leveled up considerably.