Utah Catholic bishop believes Pope Leo XIV will carry legacy of late Pope Francis

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — White smoke could be seen rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney in Vatican City on Thursday, signaling that cardinals have selected a new pope to lead the Catholic Church after the passing of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, of America, was elected to lead the church. Prevost becomes the first American to be elected as Pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.

Here in Utah, local Catholic church leaders are reacting to the news.

“When the cardinals elect a pope who happens to be an American, it tells us about the universality of God’s love. God chooses a leader of the Catholic church not only to serve the Catholics but to serve the entire world,” said Bishop Oscar Solis, who leads the Catholic church in Utah.

Solis told reporters on Thursday morning that he had not met Pope Leo XIV in person, but he had heard a lot about him. He praised his ability to speak multiple languages, having served a mission in Latin America and working in the Vatican for a couple of years.

Solis believes Pope Leo XIV will continue the legacy and the work of previous popes in serving the people of the world, and that being an American doesn’t change his responsibility. He said he felt confident that the new pope would continue his predecessor’s legacy to have a special affinity and closeness to the poor and the marginalized.

“Whether you are American, you are Italian, Asian, or European, it doesn’t undermine the great responsibility to forget who you are. There is a wonderful sacred responsibility in our Catholic church being appointed as a leader,” said Solis. “Like, for me, I am a Filipino. But I don’t serve as a Filipino bishop. I serve as a servant of God, elected to be the bishop here in Utah.”