‘I teared up’: Champaign Co. Catholics reacts to new Pope

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The Catholic Church has a new pope; not only is he the first American in the position, but Cardinal Robert Prevost is also from Illinois.

Many have had their eyes on the papal conclave the past two days, waiting to see who will fill the spot after Pope Francis died in April.

In Central Illinois, many are welcoming Pope Leo XIV with open arms. He was born in Chicago, and is also a citizen of Peru, where he has worked for many years. Pope Francis made him a Cardinal in 2023.

Father Andru O’Brien at St. Thomas More High School in Champaign said he was surprised, but excited, to hear the name.

“It was not a name I was anticipating,” he said.

Fr. O’Brien said he was speaking with students when he looked up and saw the white smoke, indicating someone had been chosen. Next thing you know, he said a nun ran over to his door to share the news. Many students were equally excited.

“We were all like waiting anxiously,” Bekah Goebel, a senior at St. Thomas More, said. “Wondering like, ‘when’s he coming out when’s he coming out?’ Then he came out and we were all screaming and super excited.”

Others, like Anne Schwenk were taking a quiz in history class when the news broke.

“The pope came out and we had to shut our Chromebooks and pause the quiz really fast because we were so excited and wanted to watch everything going on,” she described.

Now, Fr. O’Brien is looking forward to seeing what the new pope does.

“The reality is, they’re entrusting themselves to the Holy Spirit,” Fr. O’Brien “Pope Francis did a lot of great work on bringing the church out to the people, and now it seems with his name choice, that he is looking to be close to the people and draw them back to the church. Which I think is a beautiful thing.”

Meanwhile, students have reflected on what they’ve learned about the conclave leading up to this moment.

“When a pope dies, all the cardinals go to Rome for the funeral. After the funeral, they go into the Sistine Chapel for the conclave. It’s pretty secret, we don’t know how the ballots all go down or things like that, but they alternate ballots and then they need 2/3 of the cardinals to agree on who the next pope is in order for him to be elected,” Gabe Yallaly, a high school senior, said.

Fr. O’Brien said he was surprised the conclave moved as fast as it did. The College of Cardinals represents several countries, and there are a variety of languages being spoken inside.

Many are wondering which Major League Baseball team Pope Leo cheers for. Originally, many said he’s a Chicago Cubs fan. Now, his family members have confirmed he leans toward the Chicago White Sox.