As he gears up for his first Christmas as leader of the world’s Catholics, Pope Leo XIV is starting to show more noticeable differences in leadership style with his predecessor Francis.Pope Leo has set a more guarded and formal tone than the charismatic Francis but is equally unafraid to speak his mind — even on sensitive topics like social justice, poverty and immigration.”The pope communicates by how he dresses, his gestures, his signals,” Roberto Regoli, an Italian priest and a professor at the Vatican’s Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP.Whereas “Francis’s style was very linked to his words” and improvisation, Leo XIV communicates emotions “with his face and his penetrating gaze”.”He is not a physically imposing person,” he said, underlining his “soft” and “very assured” manner.Robert Francis Prevost became the first US pope on May 8 and has so far differed little from his Argentine predecessor in terms of substance.He has only had to make a few nominations to top Vatican positions — usually seen as a good indicator of papal intentions — since his election.Leo has also not yet moved into the Apostolic Palace — which Francis eschewed for more humble lodgings nearby — and the Church’s long-planned Jubilee Holy Year has taken up much of his agenda.On the international stage, Leo has only carried out one foreign visit to Turkey and Lebanon — which had already been decided under Francis.But the trip earlier this month gave important insights into their different styles.Pope Leo spoke with emotion but without being particularly effusive to fervent crowds in Lebanon.He stuck to the text of written speeches and soberly greeted the faithful during the visit, remaining measured even in crowded environments.- ‘Sure of his ideas’ -Pope Leo has revived an old tradition of taking a weekly day of rest on Tuesdays in Castel Gandolfo — the papal summer residence near Rome which Francis had mostly stayed away from.Leo said he plays tennis, swims, reads and takes phone calls there.Everyone “should do some activity” in order “to look after themselves. Body, soul, all together”, the 70-year-old told journalists last month.Before returning to the Vatican on Tuesdays, he usually answers journalists’ questions — a new way of communicating.Francis granted several exclusive media interviews during his pontificate while Leo has only done one in seven months.In recent weeks, he has become highly critical of US President Donald Trump — calling the treatment of migrants in the US “extremely disrespectful”.”He doesn’t shy away from answering questions. He says what he thinks because he is sure of his ideas and his management,” Regoli said.”He is really a modern head of state. He believes a pope can speak informally on issues that are not directly related to his remit,” a Vatican source said on condition of anonymity.The pope’s message reaches a wide audience also because of his knowledge of languages.He speaks confidently in English, Italian and Spanish, a language he masters well after spending two decades in Peru as a missionary.- Cape and smartwatch -In Vatican corridors there is some satisfaction with Leo’s greater respect for institutions and officialdom, a more methodical form of governance and detailed knowledge of the issues at stake.”His timidity is also an evangelical way of working — of having respect for people because with Francis it was not aways the case,” a diplomatic source told AFP.Francis was known for his sometimes explosive character in private and could dismiss staff from one day to the next.Leo has also taken strong decisions — such as going back on some reforms in the running of the Vatican undertaken by his predecessor.He has also brought back greater formality in papal wear, donning the red capes and gold-embroidered stoles that Francis had rejected.The one novel twist on tradition is the smartwatch on his wrist that can sometimes be seen under the lace sleeve of his white garments.

President Donald Trump promised Americans an economic boom in an address to the nation on Wednesday, while blaming Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for high prices that have hit the Republican’s popularity.”Good evening America. Eleven months ago I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” the 79-year-old said in his live speech from the White House at the end of his first year back in power.Trump faces growing voter anger over the issue of affordability despite his efforts to dismiss it as a “hoax” by Democrats, sparking Republican fears they could be punished in the 2026 midterm elections.The billionaire president insisted that prices of gas and groceries that have worried Americans were “falling rapidly, and it’s not done yet. But boy, are we making progress.”In a surprise announcement, Trump said that 1.45 million United States military service members would each receive “warrior dividend” bonus checks for $1,776 before Christmas, paid for with revenues raised from tariffs.He added that specific amount was in honor of the year of the founding of the United States, the 250th anniversary of which the country will celebrate next year.Trump then promised that “we are poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen” in 2026, when the United States will co-host the FIFA World Cup, with Canada and Mexico.But while the White House had billed the speech as a chance for Trump to set out his economic agenda for the rest of his second term, much of it consisted on attacks on familiar targets.He repeatedly raged against Biden, the Democrats, and migrants whom he said “stole American jobs.”Democrats fired back after the speech, with Senator Chuck Schumer saying in a statement that Trump “just showed he lives in a bubble completely disconnected from the reality everyday Americans are seeing and feeling.” “The facts are that prices are going up. Unemployment is going up. And there’s no end in sight,” he added.Trump’s speech comes at the end of a whirlwind year in which he has launched an unprecedented display of presidential power, including a crackdown on migration and the targeting of political opponents. – Poll worries for Trump -But polls show what Americans are most concerned about is high prices, which experts say are partly fueled by the tariffs he has slapped on trading partners around the world.Trump got his worst approval ratings ever for his handling of the economy in a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll published Wednesday, with 57 percent of Americans disapproving and expressing concerns about the cost of living.A YouGov poll published Tuesday showed that 52 percent of Americans thought the economy was getting worse under Trump. He has also faced criticism from his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement for focusing on peace deals in Ukraine and Gaza and on tensions with Venezuela, instead of domestic issues.Trump did not mention Ukraine or Venezuela, but did boast about the Gaza ceasefire, the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear program, and what he calls a war on drug traffickers.There are signs Trump’s team has had a wake-up call on the economy in recent weeks, with next year’s midterm elections for the control of Congress already looming.Republicans lost heavily in elections in November for the mayor of New York and governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, while Democrats ran them close in a previously safe area in Tennessee.The president is now ramping up his domestic travel to push his economic message.Last week in Pennsylvania he promised to “make America affordable again,” and on Friday he is due to give another campaign-style rally in North Carolina.Vice President JD Vance — who is rapidly becoming Trump’s messenger on the issue as he eyes his own presidential run in 2028 — also urged voters to show patience during a speech on Tuesday.