After a quiet start, the first American pope appears to be finding his voice.

During his debut foreign trip, to Turkey and Lebanon , Pope Leo XIV projected a papal brand more guarded and less polarizing than that of his predecessor, Pope Francis.

But many Vatican watchers have nonetheless been impressed with his ability to deliver powerful messages — particularly on issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence, poverty and immigration — albeit in a subtler way than the man he replaced.

“Pope Leo is certainly growing into the role,” said Massimo Faggioli, a world-leading Vatican expert and professor at Trinity College Dublin. “He has resisted the temptation to give a sound bite that’s easy to use as a headline,” but “when he speaks, he says things that are quite courage

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