Pope Leo XIV indicated on Saturday that his papacy will follow closely in the footsteps of the late Pope Francis, telling church cardinals that they should take up that “precious legacy” and identifying artificial intelligence as a main challenge for working people and “human dignity.

In his first formal audience in the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday laid out his vision for his papacy, identifying artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity.

Catholics around the world were skeptical at first about an American pope. But Pope Leo XIV’s multicultural and multilingual identity has put them at ease.

Robert Prevost’s election as pope stunned many Catholics skeptical that an American would ever be elevated to that role.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, was elected May 8. His selection came as a surprise to some church leaders, though not an unwelcome one.