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“Today’s a day unlike any other in American history, or the much longer history of the Catholic Church, with a pope who was born in America.” 

Father Robert Longobucco, Vicar General, spoke these words of excitement on May 8, at the Pastoral Center in Albany, after the announcement of Pope Leo XIV as the successor of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a native of Chicago, was elected pope after two days of voting — an unprecedented and surprising move, as the first American to hold the office. 

Father Donald Rutherford, Vicar for Clergy, who spoke to the media alongside Father Longobucco, said the two priests were together when they first heard the announcement. 

“We were sitting next to each other, and it was an absolute shock, almost,” said Father Rutherford. “He was one of the ones who was considered, but we always thought it was going to be an Italian, because there hasn’t been an Italian since 1978. To have an American as the Bishop of Rome, that's amazing. And truly the Holy Spirit spoke: he is the right man, at the right time, for the right people. I think it's a wonderful thing.”

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, who is currently away on a mission trip, added: “We are grateful to the cardinal electors for their prayerful consideration in the process, we are grateful to all who prayed for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. May prayers continue for our new pope and for our church in this Jubilee Year of Hope. May God’s light shine through each of us, in all that we say and do.” 

After stepping out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV addressed the crowd in St. Peter’s Square. The first words of his speech were, “Peace be with you!”

“He talked about having a missionary spirit of the church, about being followers of Christ,” Father Longobucco said. “That’s to the root of who we are. If you get that right, the rest tends to take care of itself.”

Before his ordination, Pope Leo XIV attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1977, and he received a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982. He joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1977, something that could speak to his strength as a servant leader: “He understands a community; understands the people,” said Father Rutherford.

While from the Midwest, Pope Leo XIV has spent years in Latin America, serving in Peru as a missionary. He moved to the country three years after his ordination in 1982, but returned home regularly to serve in his hometown. Still, this is a moment of pride for Americans and the Catholic Church in this country as we welcome one of our own as pope. It also begs the question of impact: an American pope has been avoided before, with cardinals often leaning away from world superpowers as a viable candidate. 

To see that Pope Leo XIV won out in the end speaks even more to his character, said Father Longobucco: “Think about the type of person he has to be to overcome the possible fear of coming from a superpower. To have (the cardinals) say, ‘No, this is the most fair, this is the most just, this is the right guy.’ That says a lot about him.”

And despite his country’s origins, the pope, no matter where he was born, speaks and missions equally to the Universal Church: “This is a person who’s been in Latin America as a bishop for 14 years, he’s been in Rome, who has a worldwide perspective. His first words from the balcony were for peace, and he put that at the center,” Father Longobucco added.

For anyone in doubt, Father Rutherford implored those to “open your hearts and minds to what he has to say to all of us, whatever it may be.”

“The challenges are huge; it's an impossible job,” Father Longobucco said. “I think every pope recognizes that they need to be prayed for. Just to somehow amass the courage and the faith to do this impossible job well, so I know he’s looking for prayers from everyone, not just Catholics, but every single person of faith.”

And even with much still to come, there is a great deal of excitement for the Church under the new pope’s guidance — and, above all, hope: “Excited and surprised and a little bit of pride, but hope, hope, hope for our whole world,” said Father Longobucco. 

Added Rutherford: “We’ve got a young, vibrant man who is forward-looking, and I don’t think it could be a better day for the American Church or for the Universal Church.”

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