An American Pope!
Laura DeMaria
I am as surprised and thrilled as the rest of the US (Chicago especially) that our new Pope, Pope Leo XIV, has been elected - the first American Pope. I audibly gasped as I watched.
Moments before he was announced, while I watched the Vatican News coverage, I saw an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that someone was waving, in that sea of flags. It struck me in my heart in an odd way, and not just because I have a devotion to her. I wondered, will the new Pope be from Mexico (I don’t even know if there are Mexican cardinals)? But no - she is the patroness of the Americas, which includes the US. Isn’t that something!
All Catholics need to do now is pray. Forget whatever “camp,” politically, you are in, or you think he is in. He’s not, whatever you think, because the Church is above and outside politics, including American politics. What stood out to me, aside from his words that evil will not prevail, was his emotion. He was visibly moved and held back tears before he spoke so clearly. It demonstrated depth and humility, and a recognition of the gravity of the moment. How proud his mama would be.
What a joyful moment for the Church and the world! Let us pray for Pope Leo XIV, for the Church, and for all the human race as we, in the words of the Pope, “go forward.!”