The Catholic church has elected its first American pope, Robert Francis Prevost. He has selected his name to be Pope Leo XIV; previously, Pope Leo XIII was known for his efforts within the church to push modern thinking. Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, and spent many years living in Peru on mission trips and serving his communities. Prevost addressed the public in Italian and then Spanish at the Vatican, honoring the Vatican and his life in Peru. In his speech, he showed great appreciation for the late Pope Francis and promised to continue the work he had done for the church. As the first American Pope having been elected many are bound to question his holiness but Pope Leo stated in his speech “To all of you, brothers and sisters in Rome, in Italy, throughout the world: we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward, a church that always seeks peace, that always seeks Charity, that always seeks to be close above all to those who are suffering.”
It has been said through the college of cardinals that an American Pope had never been chosen before because America has always been seen as too powerful on its own, putting an American on the throne of St. Peter would have been detrimental to the Catholic Church. Pope Leo, although born American, has spent over 20 years living in Peru, educating professed members and teaching Canon Law, Patristics, and the Moral Theology at the Major Seminary, as well as being appointed to pastoral care of Our Mother Lady Church, along with connecting with several community members throughout. Although he still visits his family in America, most of his life has been dedicated to serving the Catholic Church.
His inaugural mass will be held on May 18th in St. Peter’s Square. The inauguration will begin inside the Basilica at St. Peter’s tomb, two Deacons will provide the new Pope with a fisherman’s ring symbolizing becoming the successor of St. Peter, as well as a Pallium to demonstrate his new Papal authority. These two items are constantly created and customized to represent each new Pope. These objects will be bestowed upon Pope Leo XIV after he leads in prayer and his version of the procession. He will then be presented with the ring and pallium to symbolize stepping into his papacy once his mass is completed. Although there are no real time restraints to the inauguration, most are completed within 2-4 hours. The Catholic world awaits the official welcoming of their new Pope into his role as head of the church.
