Metro Atlanta Catholic churches celebrate Pope Leo XIV's first Mass as new leader
Catholic churches across metro Atlanta had their first Sunday services since the election of the new pope.
Channel 2's Bryan Mims was at Christ the King Cathedral, where worshippers are energized by their new leader.
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It was not just another Sunday at Christ the King Cathedral. It's Mother's Day, Good Shepherd Sunday, and it's the first Sunday since the Catholic church elected its new leader. That was on the minds of parishioners as they filed into Mass.
Before the faithful gathered in Buckhead on Sunday, 100,000 of the faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square in Rome.
Pope Leo XIV stood before the multitudes for his first Regina Caeli message – that's Latin for 'queen of heaven.'
He declared, 'Never again war!'
'That's what we all pray for, don't we?' John O'Brien, a Christ the King member, said.
O'Brien appreciates that exhortation for world peace, and he's inspired by the pope's in-the-trenches service to people.
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In his Sunday sermon, Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer of Christ the King acknowledged the pope's mission work in Peru, where he learned to pray in the Inca language.
He said Pope Leo XIV has 'a pastor's heart.'
'The message is we have a new shepherd. Shepherd of the church and not only pray for him, but pray for more shepherds to rise up and help us with the ever-increasing flock in America,' O'Brien said.
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Channel 2 Action News met Ucha Opara, a Christ the King member from Nigeria, a country that has known strife and bloodshed.
He prays this new global shepherd can guide world leaders to put down their weapons.
'The war, crises (are) happening everywhere. We hope that stops. Christianity is known for peace, and we hope that he spreads that far and wide,' Opara said.
Robert Francis Prevost is not just the first US-born pope, he also has creole roots in New Orleans, with grandparents described as Black or mulatto.
Jackie Plaia says the pope can navigate a complex world.
'he seems like a real-world leader, and I love the fact that he speaks so many languages. He lived in Peru for so long, so he's worldly. I just think he'll be a really good leader to bring the world together.'
Parishioners say the pope's diverse lineage is another attribute that makes him a unifying world leader.
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