ROME – For the outside world, it is perhaps Pope Leo XIV’s pleas for ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine that have drawn the most attention since his election just over three weeks ago. For Catholic insiders, a range of papal actions have sparked reaction – from his sartorial choices to the use of sung Latin in public prayer, and even his few initial personnel moves.
For Italians, however, one moment from the new pontiff’s agenda has stood out above all: his 27 May audience with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, whose vicissitudes over the past five years – including his reluctant withdrawal from the recent conclave – have formed the Vatican’s most riveting domestic soap opera.
