Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, said he expects Pope Leo XIV "feels an obligation," to speak to what he called the issues of the day, amid "real challenges globally."

A Chicago-born Cardinal is getting attention as a possible contender to be the new pope, but scholars say an American in the role is unlikely. Why it matters: For Catholics, the big question is whether the next pope's views will be aligned with the late Pope Francis' more progressive beliefs or the new leader will adhere to a more traditionalist doctrine.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, said on Sunday that he thinks Pope Leo XIV will carry forward Francis’s commitment and focus on immigration, climate change and human trafficking.

A special prayer service is set to happen on Monday for Pope Leo at Chicago's Leo High School on the South Side.

"The Pope is from Chicago. This is one of the biggest moments in the modern history of our city," said Mayor Brandon Johnson in a statement.

Nazareth Academy President Deborah Tracy said Pope Leo XIV will continue work inline with Nazareth and the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. He is the first US-born pope. He is from Chicago. This led to comparisons with Michael Jordan. Robert Gri

Six weeks before American Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, the activist group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) filed a complaint against him, along with other church leaders,