The Tamales That Shaped a Papacy

Pope Leo XIV's Mexican-American mother Mildred Mart�nez, who passed away in 2012, left an indelible mark on his approach to leadership. The Vatican kitchen now prepares her famous tamale recipe (adapted to use communion wafer masa) for major feast days. "Mom taught me that feeding people is the first act of ministry," recalls the pontiff, who insists on eating with staff in the communal Augustinian style. Her devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe inspired his decision to declare the Tilma's preservation a "scientific miracle." The pope still keeps her well-worn comal (griddle) in his private chapel, using it as a base for candles. Vatican chefs report he occasionally slips into the kitchen to correct their chili proportions, murmuring: "Mildred's ghost would kill me if I let this be bland."