Shreveport Bishop reacts to election of Pope Leo XIV, first American Pontiff

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Roman Catholics around the world are celebrating the election of their new leader. Catholics in the United States were particularly excited, as Chicago-born Cardinal Robert F. Prevost became the first American Pope. He has taken the name Pope Leo XIV.

The leader of the Catholic Diocese of Shreveport, Bishop Francis Malone, postponed mass on Thursday afternoon, so everyone could watch the announcement from Vatican City. He said the papal conclave’s decision to elect Cardinal Prevost came as a shock.

“For those of us from the United States, who were familiar with Cardinal Prevost, we were saying ‘Prevost? An American?’,” said Bishop Malone. “There’s that surprise, that shock because we were always at the time of a death of a Pope and the election of a new Pope that they say ‘it will never be an American’ only because of the political ramifications of being the greatest country in the world.”

Worshippers who were gathered at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans acknowledged this significant moment.

“It’s very exciting and very emotional too, because I think, as the Bishop said, it’s not just a person that appears there. It’s a pastor. It’s like a father for us,” said Julieta Roche of Shreveport.

Pope Leo follows the teachings of Saint Augustine and graduated from Villanova University near Philadelphia, one of only two Augustinian Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. His election as pontiff holds special significance for other Augustinians.

“Being Augustinian it means a lot to us. So, there’s a lot of digging that we still need to do; you know, trying to know him better, and seeing what his background is beyond being Augustinian,” said Noemi Saybe, a Roman Catholic from Shreveport. “It’s more to it. It’s more than the church. It’s more about hope, and to see what it is that, with his guidance, we need to do locally. to serve our families.”