BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — For the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, an American has been elected pope.
By: Stacy M. Brown
Reaction continues to pour in after the selection of the first American Pope.
Politicians, advocates, and others have weighed in on the history-making moment where, for the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, an American has been elected pope. Cardinal Robert Prevost, a native of Chicago, emerged as the conclave’s choice to succeed Pope Francis and will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. “The first American Pope has been named at a critical time for the Catholic Church, and for the world,” Damon T. Hewitt, the President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told Black Press USA. “People across this nation and worldwide are in need of compassionate moral leadership,” stated Hewitt, who was raised a Catholic in New Orleans. “That, plus the sheer force of will of people of conscience might be the only thing that can counterbalance the ugly trend of racism, xenophobia, and authoritarianism that is plaguing our planet.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams also celebrated the new pontiff. “Catholicism plays a rich spiritual and cultural role in the lives of billions of people, offering hope, guidance, love, and support,” Adams stated. “Whether it’s attending Sunday Mass, praying before dinner, or drawing inspiration from the Bible, Catholicism has enriched the lives of people everywhere, and I know that many — including myself — will look to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for leadership and inspiration. I know that I join people of faith from all around the world today in praying for the Pope.”
The announcement came from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where Cardinal Dominique Mamberti followed centuries-old tradition, delivering the proclamation in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum — Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you news of great joy — We have a pope!”) Prevost, 69, succeeds Pope Francis, who led the Church from 2013 until his death last month. His election followed a conclave that included high-profile contenders such as 76-year-old Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana and 65-year-old Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reactions poured in as word of the historic election spread. “Wow,” tweeted Tacuma Roeback, managing editor of the Chicago Defender. “The first pope from America was born in Chicago.” Former President George W. Bush called the election of the new Pope “a historic and hopeful moment for Catholics in America and for the faithful around the world.” “We join those praying for the success of Pope Leo XIV as he prepares to lead the Catholic Church, serve the neediest, and share God’s love,” Bush stated.
Born on September 14, 1955, Prevost entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977. He took his solemn vows in 1981 and was ordained a priest the following year. He studied theology in Chicago and earned a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University in Rome. His early ministry took him to Peru, where he worked in missions and served in various ecclesiastical and educational roles. He returned to the U.S. in 1999 to become provincial before the Augustinian province based in Chicago and was later elected prior general of the Order worldwide. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and elevated him to bishop. He served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 and held multiple leadership roles in the Peruvian Episcopal Conference.
Cardinal Prevost was tapped by Pope Francis in 2023 to serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was made a cardinal in September 2023 and has served on several key Vatican dicasteries, including those for Evangelization, Doctrine of the Faith, and Clergy. Pope Leo XIV is expected to continue Pope Francis’s reform-minded agenda, which focuses on inclusion, social justice, and pastoral care. “He is the most eminent and Reverend Lord Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, who has taken the name Leo the Fourteenth,” Cardinal Mamberti declared from the balcony.
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