ST PAUL, Minnesota — With the announcement of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, many members of the Twin Cities Catholic community are celebrating and praising the new leader.
Twin Cities Archbishop Bernard Hebda spoke shortly after Robert Prevost was elected as the new pope, expressing surprise that an American had been named the new leader of the Catholic Church.
“I never imagined I’d see an American Pope. “How exciting is that?” asked Hebda, who was watching the announcement with his staff. “Just recognizing his experiences as being very similar to Catholics in our archdiocese.
To have a pope, for example, who understands Catholic schools and the difficulties that parents face in ensuring that their children receive a good education. Someone who shares the same experience as the American Church.”
Hebda said he’s never met Prevost, but they’ve communicated via letter in the past.
“We’ve had some contact, but I’ve never met him, even though I worked in Rome for a long time,” said Hebda, who has served as Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis since 2016. “He was in Peru for much of that time.”
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Prevost was born in Chicago and raised in the south suburbs. He is also a Peruvian citizen, having lived there for many years as a missionary and archbishop.
There is a lot of excitement in the Twin Cities, including at the St. Paul Seminary, where a watch party was held for the announcement.
Bells rang at several churches in the Twin Cities, including the Cathedral of St. Paul and the Basilica of Saint Mary. The Basilica’s doors were also draped in yellow and white, the colors of Vatican City State.
“Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV,” said Fr. Daniel Griffith of the Basilica of Saint Mary in a video shared on social media. “What an incredible name for an American. “Almost inconceivable.”
Students at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic School in Roseville also celebrated the announcement with “pope-sicles,” while learning more about the 267th Pope to lead the Catholic Church.
“Today was truly special at our school as we celebrated the announcement of Pope Leo XIV!,” Saint Rose of Lima Catholic School in Roseville wrote on social media.
“It was heartwarming to see the students’ enthusiasm and happiness as they ate ‘pope-sicles’ and learned about our new leader. May Pope Leo’s guidance bring peace and hope to everyone.”