(COLORADO SPRINGS) — For the first time in history, the head of the Catholic church is an American. Catholics around the world, including right here in Colorado Springs, are celebrating the surprise announcement.
Robert Francis Prevost has taken the name Pope Leo XIV. The Chicago native is also a Peruvian citizen, and lived there for years, first as a missionary, then as an Archbishop. He evoked this broad experience in his first public remarks as Pope, speaking first in Italian then switching to Spanish, but not speaking in English as he addressed the crowd in St. Peter’s Square.
As cardinal, the new pontiff was closely aligned with Pope Francis, and the faithful believe his papacy could follow in Francis’ footsteps, focusing on the less fortunate.
“If you paid attention to the Holy Father’s initial speech when he was introduced, he mentioned the poor, he mentioned the church going out to the marginalized, and that God loves all people, and human dignity,” said Lucas Pollice, Diocese of Colorado Springs. “So I think our Holy Father is going to continue a lot of what Pope Francis was talking about, as far as going out to the peripheries, and that the church needs to go out and mercy, and meet people and their needs and in their wounds, and I think that’s going to continue.”
Bishop James R. Golka of the Diocese of Colorado Springs also issued a statement, inviting the local faithful to join him in praying for the new Pope.
“I welcomed the news that the Chair of St. Peter is no longer vacant and that Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Leo XIV,” Bishop Golka said. “It is a truly historic and beautiful moment when a new Vicar of Christ is chosen to continue the unbroken line of apostolic authority that stretches back more than 2,000 years. It is also remarkable that he is the first pope from the United States. I am grateful to the 133 cardinals who participated in the conclave, and I trust that the grace of the Holy Spirit was at work during this process. I ask all the faithful to join me in praying for the new pope as he assumes the tremendous responsibility of the papal office. During this month of May, we also entrust our new pope to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
As cardinal, Pope Leo presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms Pope Francis enacted, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the Pope.
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