Five takeaways from Pope Leo’s first ‘state of the world’ address

Leo laid out his diplomatic priorities for the upcoming year.

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first annual address to the Vatican diplomatic corps on Jan. 9, setting out his diplomatic priorities for the year.

The address, traditionally given at the start of the year, is often described as a papal “state of the world” speech. This year’s speech carried particular weight: it was Leo’s first opportunity to sketch his dipl…