Pope Leo XIV: Assessing His First Year as Pontiff
Thursday, March 19, 2026, 6 – 7 p.m.

A panel of experts and friends of Pope Leo will discuss Robert Prevost’s life before he became pope, why he was elected, what this first year showed us, and what his papacy will mean for the Catholic Church, and for the world.
The Rev. Arthur Purcaro, OSA, is a Bronx native and Augustinian priest who got to know Robert Prevost, a fellow Augustinian, when they both worked as missionaries in Peru starting in the 1980s.
Emilce Cuda is an Argentine-born theologian and political scientist who serves as secretary of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for Latin America, which was headed by Cardinal Prevost before he was elected pope.
Michael Sean Winters is a columnist for National Catholic Reporter who covered the 2025 conclave in Rome and is one of the most knowledgeable commentators on Catholicism in the United States.
David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture, will moderate the discussion and questions from the audience.
This lecture is made possible by the Russo Family Foundation in memory of Wanda and Robert Russo Sr., M.D., FCRH ’39.
