First American pope: US Catholics celebrate, call it ‘a blessing’

This handout picture released on May 8, 2025 by Peruvian news agency Andina shows the then bishop Robert Francis Prevost during a visit to Chulucanas, Peru, in 2024. Prevost was elected Pope on May 8, 2025. The US-born pontiff close to Pope Francis, became a Peruvian national in 2015 and devoted more than 20 years as a missionary in Peru. | Photo by Paul SUNCION / ANDINA / AFP

NEW YORK, United States — US Catholics flocked to churches across the country in a celebratory mood to mark the “excitement” of the first-ever American pontiff following Thursday’s election of Pope Leo, who worshippers hoped would bring back lapsed believers.

Outside Manhattan’s imposing St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rosaria Vigorito, 66, said she could “feel the excitement just in the few minutes I’ve been walking around.”

The Miami artist said she hoped Pope Leo, a 69-year-old from Chicago who spent much of his career in Peru, would be a reformist.

“I have one issue with the Catholic Church that I’m hoping they’ll correct, and that is allowing women to become priests,” she said, a crucifix around her neck.

“I think Mary Magdalene was an important apostle. There was a press release issued by the Vatican years ago — they called her the apostle to the apostles.”

Crowds of faithful and journalists had gathered outside the church that first opened its doors in 1879, with hundreds of worshippers filing in to pray and light candles.

A news ticker outside the nearby Fox News building announced the shock news to passersby.

Oscar Salvador, 45, a laborer from Mexico, said he hoped Leo would be able to stem the tide of people leaving the church.

“I believe it is a blessing for the people of America,” he said.

“Hopefully, he will leave a good legacy… so that more people stay in Catholicism, since lately we have seen many people leave for other religious sects.”

– ‘A bit surprised’ –

In Houston, the sprawling Texas city where more than a quarter of residents reportedly identify as Catholic, Azul Montemayor said she was “a bit surprised.”

“I was not expecting an American to be elected and I’m just hoping that he carries on (pope) Francis’s legacy of just being more inclusive, and I hope he doesn’t get swayed by more conservative ideology that we’re having in the United States right now under President Trump,” said the 29-year-old examinations officer.

Analyst Ciro Benitez, 41, told AFP that Leo’s multiculturalism was a sign “that we can expand to different kinds of cultures, (and) I guess, to the world.”

In Washington, Peruvian diplomat Julio Aiana, 32, said “we are happy that now we have a pope who is half Peruvian” — referring to the nationality Robert Francis Prevost acquired while ministering there years before becoming pope.

“I believe that the times are changing,” Aiana said.

Reverend Monsignor W. Ronald Jameson, director of St. Matthews cathedral, told AFP Leo “was a friend of pope Francis — and he has the ability to really listen and reflect on what was said, and to implement those various ideas he heard.”

Back in New York, worshipper Tim Anderson, 61, said Leo’s strength would lie in his languages — reportedly speaking English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese — in addition to reading Latin and German.

“I’m still working on English so I think it’s gonna be interesting in this day and age where there’s so much craziness,” he laughed.

“Maybe he can bring back a little bit of what I remember as a child growing up a Roman Catholic — and how full the churches were back then.”

– ‘Welcoming to everybody’? –

Vigorito said she wanted Leo “to bring us together.”

She acknowledged the new pontiff would have a daunting task to “do as much as (he) can as a religious leader, because we deal with a lot of secular politics and issues.”

“I would love the new pope to help, especially with conflicts in any way possible, like in Ukraine,” she said.

Salvador said he was also hopeful Leo “can reconcile the countries that are at war and help them to reach peace so that we do not continue on this violent path that we are living on today.”

Having an American pope “will help bring more people to the Catholic Church, and even those that have walked away — maybe they’ll get reengaged,” added Vigorito.

Annie Elm from North Carolina paid tribute to Francis, calling him “wonderful” and praising his legacy.

“He loved everybody. He lived very modestly,” she said. “He was very humble.”

Elm also said she hoped Leo would be “very kind and caring — welcoming to everybody.”