2026 Russo Lecture
Pope Leo XIV: Assessing his first year as pontiff
Vatican experts and longtime acquaintances of the first American pope on what we have learned and what the future may hold
March 19, 2026 | 6:00pm-7:00pm
Tognino Hall | Duane Library
Fordham University’s Bronx Campus at Rose Hill
The election of Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost last spring as the first pope from the United States was a milestone even in the long history of the Catholic Church. But Leo XIV has also signaled his continuity with his predecessor, Pope Francis, on issues such as migration, economic justice, climate change, peacemaking and church reform. In the midst of rising nationalisms, the international figure of the pope has become a rallying point for solidarity and the common good.
A panel of experts and friends of Pope Leo 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
REGISTRATION IS FREE BUT SPACE IS LIMITED