One Year of Letters from Leo — A Love Letter From a McDonald’s Off St. Peter’s Square

Letters from Leo was born over an espresso in the crowds after Pope Leo XIV’s election. One year and 35,000 subscribers later, I’m back at the same table with a heart full of gratitude — and an invitation.

The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica rises behind a sign pointing the way — three minutes — to the McDonald’s at Borgo Pio 93, where Letters from Leo was conceived in May 2025.

Today, Letters from Leo turns one year old. If this community has carried you the way it has carried me, the best birthday gift you can give is to become a paid subscriber — and if yo…