It has been more than a week since the world was introduced to our new Holy Father, who until his election as our universal shepherd was Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. And we, like many others around the world—Catholics and people of other faith traditions—say “Welcome, Pope Leo XIV!”

When the 69-year-old Chicago native stepped out on a balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8 and was introduced to the world as our new pope, the joy felt throughout the universal Church—including in North America and South America—was palpable.

And that feeling was especially prevalent in Peru, where the pope ministered as a priest and later as a bishop for two decades, and in the United States, where a young Robert Prevost felt a vocation to religious life and the priesthood, entered a high school seminary in Michigan, attended Villanova University in Philadelphia and was ordained a priest for the Augustinian order in 1982.

His most recent ministries at the Holy See as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America add to the global impact of his vocational journey, and offer a beautiful witness in how living out his vocation as a religious and a priest has touched lives far and wide.

His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, becomes the latest—No. 266—in a very long line of popes to succeed to the ministry of St. Peter as Bishop of Rome and as the Vicar of Christ. (See more news about our new pope)

Our faith teaches us the pope must fill many roles, but his primary responsibility is to preserve and proclaim the teachings of Jesus as handed down through the centuries from the time that Jesus appointed Peter and his successors to lead his Church.

Pope Leo, we believe, is well equipped to do that.

While many Catholic and secular media outlets have begun their “deep dive” into the life story of our new

Holy Father, we encourage people of faith in central and southern Indiana to not put the new pope into a box but to take their time to learn of the gifts of our universal shepherd.

There are, however, some things worth noting about Pope Leo XIV: He is a dual citizen of the United States and Peru. He was a cardinal less than two years. (Pope Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals in September 2023.) He speaks five languages—English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese—and he also is able to read Latin and German. While a missionary in Peru, he also learned Quechua, the language of natives in that country that dates back to the Incan empire.

He chose his name in homage to Pope Leo XIII, recognizing the need to renew Catholic social teaching to face today’s new industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence, which he noted in remarks to the College of Cardinals on May 10, “pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.” His older brother Joseph also confirmed the pope is a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox.

Although he admitted then-Cardinal Prevost was the only American cardinal he had not met, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson reacted with “great pride” upon learning of his election as our new pope.

During a press conference on

May 8 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis, the archbishop said he saw it as a good sign that the cardinals were able to elect a new pope a day after the conclave began.

“I think it is a very strong indicator that the cardinals were united,” Archbishop Thompson said. “They knew what they were looking for. They read the signs of the times as they saw them through their prayer, through the guidance of the Spirit. And they recognized the cardinal among them who seemed to have those gifts.”

The archbishop called Pope Leo a “bridge builder” and “a man of peace,” and expects him to be a pope, like his predecessors, to show pastoral care for all people, not just Catholics.

“He’ll have concern for all, for the poor and for all those who are vulnerable, in need of a voice and needing of that solidarity,” said Archbishop Thompson.

In his first homily during a Mass celebrated with the cardinals on May 9 in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Leo noted the weight of his new mission.

“Through the ministry of Peter, you have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission,” he said, “and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel.”

While we all celebrate Pope Leo’s election as our universal shepherd, our prayers for him must become a priority.

We pray he indeed builds bridges, strives to bring peace around the globe, and becomes a source of unity for our Church and the world. Holy Spirit, please guide him in his mission.

Let us also pray, please God, that he may shepherd after the heart of Christ. Ad multos annos (for many years). 

—Mike Krokos