"It's been an unbelievable week, obviously, for all of us," said Mark Duffey, who was ordained as a deacon at St. Thomas of Villanova Parish in Palatine.

We have an American Peruvian pope,” said Betty Lazaro. Locals say they expect Pope Leo XIV to carry on Pope Francis’ call to advocate for the poor and immigrants.

Many sites associated with past popes’ lives have become museums or holy destinations for the faithful. But Pope Leo XIV’s childhood church in Chicago closed years ago.