Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Catholic Register
June 5, 2025
The biggest cheer that rises from St. Peter’s Square after the white smoke emanates from the makeshift chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel comes after the Cardinal protodeacon announces, “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus papam.” “I announce to you the great joy: we have a pope.”
Before anyone in the Square knows the identity of the new pontiff, Catholics across the globe, and with us many non-Catholics, erupt, indeed, with great joy. We are ready to cheer the new vicar of Christ no matter which Cardinal’s name is proclaimed and what new papal moniker he chooses.
On May 8, however, when Cardinal Dominique Mamberti announced the great joy that there was a new successor to St. Peter and to Pope Francis, Catholics from the United States had a cause for even greater jubilation. To the surprise of nearly everyone, the new Pope we had was the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first Bishop of Rome ever born in the United States of America, a native of the south side of Chicago, a graduate of Villanova, an Augustinian friar, provincial and prior general, a missionary priest and bishop, and even a long-suffering White Sox fan.
Conventional wisdom in this and previous conclaves was that, because of the prominence of the United States in world affairs, an American Cardinal was practically ineligible. That was still the take this conclave as many said about Cardinal Prevost that he “checked all of the boxes” the electors would ordinarily look for in a pontiff — he spoke five languages, served in the missions in Latin America for 22 years, regularly traveled the globe during his 12 years as leader of the Augustinians, served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops helping Pope Francis select bishops in non-missionary countries, served on the board of many other departments in the Roman Curia making him keenly aware both of the issues facing the Church globally as well in the Vatican, and was 69 so that his projected papacy wouldn’t be too long or too short. Leading up to the election many international commentators, as well as some American Cardinals, said that, if he weren’t from the United States, he might have been considered a favorite heading into the Sistine Chapel.
Regardless, on the fourth ballot, Cardinal Prevost was chosen by his brother Cardinals, accepted the election and chose the name Leo XIV. History was made. He is the first Pope who has served as a missionary since St. Peter. He is the first pope since the early Church chosen from a country where Catholicism is a minority religion. And he is the first Pope from the United States of America.
It’s a startling reality to ponder that just three years ago, he was, for practical purposes, a relatively unknown, hard-working missionary bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. Even on May 7, he was unknown to most practicing Catholics in the United States, since he had spent most of his adult life outside of his country of origin. Overnight, however, he has become one of the most famous Americans who has ever lived, and, if he serves for several years, will be mentioned in the same sentence as — and perhaps even before — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
What does his election mean for Catholics in the United States?
First, unlike several Catholic countries in Europe, the United States has never had a primate like Poland or Ireland or a patriarch like Portugal, a prelate who is clearly the visible head of the Church in the country. The presidency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is just for three years, and his role has been more to chair the meetings of the bishops and supervise the infrastructure of the conferences’ staff than to serve as a visible head of, and spokesman for, the Catholics in the United States. Not since 1808 when Bishop John Carroll was the bishop of Baltimore — then the only diocese in the United States — has the Catholic Church in our country has a clear national leader.
Because of this absence, the United States can sometimes resemble ancient Corinth in terms of its loyalties. Whereas Corinthian Christians broke into factions based on their affinities to St. Paul, St. Peter (Cephas) and the great preacher Apollos, American Catholics have been susceptible informally to join various camps of followers of different bishops, priests or even Catholic public figures who align with their individual theological, political or personality preferences. Such divisions are particularly acute today in a media age that transcends diocesan boundaries. The election of an American Pope has not only given the world a figure to preside in unity and charity, to quote the ancient papal job description given by St. Ignatius of Antioch in 107, but also has provided a clear leader for the Church in the United States. Pope Leo’s motto is In illo uno unum, pointing to how we are one in the one Jesus Christ. This is something we can anticipate the first American pope will try to emphasize in the Church where he received the sacraments of initiation, nourished and grew.
The second foreseen impact will be a deep papal understanding of the Church in the United States. Unlike previous popes, some of whom haven’t shown a deep understanding or appreciation for American Catholics, Pope Leo understands us from the inside. He thinks and speaks with typical American clarity and directness. He grasps American virtues and vices. The fact that he has spent much of his adult life outside the United States has given him the capacity — like many ex-pats — to see more clearly Americans’ strengths and weaknesses. He sees our freedom of association, entrepreneurialism, knack for problem-solving, cheerfulness, friendliness, generosity, courage and customer service. He also grasps our blind spots: temptations toward transactionalism, utilitarianism, materialism and consumerism, a hyperfocus on what we do rather than who we are, too little emphasis on the family, rest, vacation and things more important than work, some arrogance and bullying in international relations, and the myopia and insecurity that can come from many Americans’ speaking only one language. He will therefore have a highly attuned capacity to encourage us and, when necessary, to call us to conversion and greatness.
The third point is that if he makes a direct appeal for the help of American Catholics, he will likely get a huge response. American Catholics have always been loyal and generous to the Holy Father — we of course want all popes to succeed in office — but there will likely be something even greater should the first American pope ask our assistance, because we obviously have a particular desire to help someone baptized, confirmed, confessed, and spiritually fed in our parishes, who has gone to our Catholic schools and one of our Catholic universities, to lead the Church effectively. If he asks, and especially if he asks directly, the impact will be huge. If he informs us that he has inherited a financial mess at the Vatican and needs our experience and resources to help him fix it, which American Catholic wouldn’t want to help according to our means? If he made a direct appeal to American young people to ask themselves today whether, just as Jesus called him as a young boy in Chicago, he might be calling them, it would be like no other vocational pitch of all time.
Finally, next year, the United States will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It will be a time to consider not just the birth of our country and its rich past, but also its present and future. Pope Leo will be able to bring a Catholic perspective to this much needed opportunity for national renewal. He will especially be able to encourage American Catholics to use our freedom well — for God, for the good, true and beautiful — and to challenged us to become the salt, light and leaven our country needs and that Jesus, his Boss, has summoned us to be.
Pope Leo’s election truly is a great joy. Habemus papam Americanum. Through his election, not only is Jesus demanding more of the former Cardinal Prevost, but asking much more of all American Catholics.