"Lebanon needed this embrace."

The words went out over a social media platform, made more poignant for the accompanying image of Pope Leo XIV consoling a weeping Lebanese woman.

I couldn't help thinking "perhaps the whole world needed it, and needs this Pope, for this time."

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Leo's papacy, of nine months gestation, has revealed itself slowly -- full of hope but also hidden, as though the first pope from the United States meant to show himself in small, unhurried measures.

The office he was thrust into might quickly make its demands known but this new Pontiff seemed to consider everything placed before him with care. The punditry, who had barely counted Cardinal Robert Prevost among the papabile, have been chomping at the bit to define the man, quickly comparing him to his predecessor or  labelling the new Pontiff according to their preferences.

Barely had we met him before one head-spinning swift headline blared: "With Leo, there's no going back from Francis." Another editorial declared Prevost would be no "Francis 2.0 or even 1.5." More thoughtful publications waited to see what the first steps of this newborn pontificate would show. Would he be cautious or take off running?

Our new Peter came with a papal name of both historic greatness and clear-minded engagement with changing times and trends, which seemed to please everyone.

As societies roil from the still-evolving, barely studied effects of techno-addiction on our minds and souls, mysterious use of bitcoin on economies, and the thoughtless embrace of artificial intelligence on everything, there seemed a consensus of hope that this new Leo might nod toward Leo XIII, whose encyclical "Rerum Novarum" helped define the moral concerns and rights of laborers during the Industrial Revolution.

When the new Pope admitted as much, expectations grew that he would quickly address all of it, especially bringing Catholic sensibility to bear on the powers and problems inherent to AI. Meanwhile, the Augustinian who appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's last May 8 kept his initial thoughts to himself. Making his first popemobile forays into the crowds attending his audiences, he greeted babies and made spectacular catches as all manner of "Pope Leo" dolls came his way.

"He seems quietly centered, and comfortable in his own skin," I wrote to a friend. "But I wish he'd do something spectacular, already. I mean, why the reticence? He's from Chicago!"

"By way of the missions in Chiclayo, Peru," I was reminded. "Be patient. Honestly, I like that Leo is taking his time and leaving a lot to the imagination."

With that in mind, here are my Top 5 "Pope Leo Moments" for 2025:

1) His first interview -- and the messages contained in it.

Leo spoke clearly of his concerns for socio-economic issues, wealth inequality, the marginalized, environmental concerns, immigration, war and governmental overreach but also surprised many by insisting: "I don't see my primary role as trying to be the solver of the world's problems."

Rather, the new Pope means to root the voice of the Church firmly to its source: "The values that the Church will promote in dealing with some of these world crises don't come out of the blue, they come out of the Gospel." 

Month by month, Pope Leo began to show us what he meant by issuing a beautiful and moving exhortation on love of the poor; by praying with the leader of a historic persecutor of the Church; by addressing the marginalized, both outside and within the Church through Gospel lenses and with an eye toward bridging what has become polarized. He's used digital encounters to stay in touch with young Catholics to excellent effect.

All of that added up to a great beginning but Leo's slow revelation ended in Lebanon where we saw a candle of steady light, burning with a full and compassionate heart for the suffering, a vigorous and deep uplifting faith and a humble yet firm sense of occasion.

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2) The visit to Turkey and, especially, Lebanon.

The visit to Turkey and Lebanon is an obvious standout. The photos from Leo's pilgrimage to Iznik were breathtaking: Standing above the submerged ruins of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos, the Bishop of Rome joined in prayer with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and representatives of Eastern churches, both Catholic and other Orthodox, and helped the one, apostolic Church breathe with both lungs.

In Istanbul he made a respectful visit to the famous Blue Mosque, leaving his shoes outside but, in a departure from his three predecessors, politely declining to pray with an innately North American demurral: "That's okay."

After that, Leo's focus was Lebanon with that beleaguered nation's estimated 1.3 million Catholics overjoyed to meet their new Papa. The Holy Father seemed similarly enthused, becoming the first pontiff to visit and pray before the shrine of St. Charbel Makhlouf, the great Melkite monk held in reverence by Catholic and even some Muslim Lebanese. Leo later acknowledged "the enduring truth that Christians, Muslims, Druze and countless others can live together and build a country united by respect and dialogue."

From there, he met with an enthusiastic young people. His stirring address spelled out the challenges of balancing technology and interpersonal relationships. He also consoled the families of those lost in a devastating 2020 explosion that killed hundreds, closing the trip with a Mass attended by about 150,000 Catholics. He preached with forceful beauty: "Lebanon, stand up," he said. "Be a home of justice and fraternity! Be a prophetic sign of peace for the whole of the Levant."

3) Meeting -- and praying with -- an earthly king.

Precedent setting as it was, Pope Leo's Apostolic Journey was not the first historic moment of his papacy. A month earlier, he had welcomed Britain's King Charles III, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, to St. Peter's and for the first time since the Reformation, a pope and a British monarch prayed together, and in the Sistine Chapel no less,

There are still plenty of issues keeping us apart but Leo is demonstrating Christians praying together, in every part of the world, must be the beginning dialogue for peace.

4) "Dilexi te": Continuity and unity.

It was a beautiful sign of papal continuance when Pope Francis picked up Benedict XVI's unfinished encyclical and completed it, issuing "Lumen Fidei" and graciously writing: "I have taken up his fine work and added a few contributions of my own." Likewise, "Dilexi te," the apostolic exhortation Pope Francis was preparing before his death, was finished by Leo XIV0. "I am happy to make this document my own … since I share the desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ's love and his summons to care for the poor," he wrote.

While notions of papal continuance too frequently rest upon shallow externals, in this cooperation of popes working as brothers toward the same end we see the continued presence of the Holy Spirit upholding the institutional Church whether she is at her best or her worst. What a heartening thing.

5) Plaintalk for the plane presser

Leo's three most recent predecessors agreed to in-flight press conferences, which are informal and can sometimes yield answers requiring later follow-up or clarification. Returning to Rome, the Holy Father, while doubtlessly still processing all that he had experienced in the Levant, covered topics with clarity, discernment and discretion -- no follow-ups required – and even shared his personal prayer life.

Perhaps in keeping with his stated belief that he is not meant to be "the solver of the world's problems," he refused to go into detail about delicate socio-politico issues. Asked about a letter from Hezbollah, Leo delicately sidestepped, saying only, "Clearly, on the part of the Church there is the proposal that they lay down their arms and that we seek dialogue. Beyond this, I prefer not to comment."

Responding to a query as to his state of mind when the possibility of his election became clear in conclave, the Pontiff was natural and instructive. "I resigned myself to the fact … I took a deep breath, and said 'here we go Lord, you're in charge, you lead the way.'"

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By word and example, perhaps the best and most succinct example of lived and intimate prayer that a pope can make, he unceremoniously offered instruction to us all.

Elizabeth Scalia is editor at large for OSV.