Pope Leo XIV’s first year: A slower pace than past popes?

Unlike the last three popes, who all created cardinals during their first year in office, Leo XIV hasn't yet convened an ordinary public consistory. "It has not yet been decided when new Cardinals will be appointed," he explained this past April 21 during his trip to Africa.

For now, this Pope who is also a canon lawyer seems happy to respect the limit of 120 cardinal electors set by Pope Paul VI — a limit that Benedict XVI and especially Pope Francis had amply exceeded.

There are currently 119 cardinals of voting age. Over the next three years, 29 of them — nearly a quarter of the College of Cardinals — will turn 80 and lose their status as cardinal electors. This should give Leo XIV plenty of room to leave his mark on the college.

Furthermore, while Leo XIV might seem to have made few appointments, the numbers clearly show otherwise. The Pope filled seven major posts within the Roman Curia during his first year. That's two fewer than Pope Francis, but more than John Paul II or Benedict XVI.

Leo XIV is the only one of the last four popes not to have published an encyclical within a year of his election. John Paul II published Redemptor Hominis on March 4, 1979; Benedict XVI released Deus Caritas Est on January 25, 2006; and Francis promulgated Lumen Fidei on June 29, 2013.

However, Leo XIV’s first encyclical, likely titled Magnifica Humanitas, is expected before the end of May, according to Vatican sources.

In a year, Pope Leo XIV has published just one apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, and Francis had already partially drafted it. Taking up texts begun by a predecessor is common practice for pontiffs. The encyclical Lumen Fidei, for instance, was initiated by Benedict XVI but published by Francis.

Lastly, Leo XIV is the pope who has issued the most motu proprios — legislative acts issued on the pontiff's own initiative. It's worth noting, however, that most of these decrees were published to refine certain administrative measures adopted at the end of Francis' pontificate. The Argentine pontiff, who spearheaded a sweeping reform of the Roman Curia, published 73 during his 12-year pontificate, but only five during his first year on the throne of Peter.

Where Leo XIV stands out the most is as a traveling pope. In just one year, he's already visited seven countries outside of Italy: Turkey, Lebanon, Monaco, Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.

He narrowly missed adding an eighth to that one-year tally, as he'll be visiting Spain from June 6 to 12. I.Media has learned that two or three other apostolic journeys are being planned for 2026.

At this pace, Leo XIV has even outdone the globetrotting John Paul II. The Polish pope, who traveled to six countries outside the Vatican and Italy during his first year, visited 127 nations over his 26 years on the throne of Peter. During his first 12 months, the 264th pontiff traveled to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Bahamas, Poland, Ireland, and the United States.

Benedict XVI also visited his native country for his only trip during his first year as head of the Church, attending World Youth Day (WYD) in Cologne, Germany, in 2005.

For Leo XIV, a trip to the United States isn't planned for the coming months, though he might visit his adopted country of Peru sometime soon.

Pope Francis, meanwhile, is the only pope of the modern era who never returned to his native country, Argentina, after his election. Like Benedict XVI, he kicked off his pontificate with a single trip for WYD — in his case, the 2013 gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.