'Great joy': Election of first American Pope celebrated in Alberta
As Father Paul Kavanagh was finishing Mass for Life at the Alberta legislature Thursday morning, a steady vibration in his pocket signalled a momentous change in Catholic Church history.
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'I must say, my phone was buzzing in my pocket, and I wasn't sure why,' said Kavanagh, who serves on the leadership team of the Archdiocese of Edmonton as he recalled the moment with surprise. 'And when Mass was over, many of us who were here, the bishops of Alberta included, they also then realized, 'Oh, the Holy Father's been elected.''
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As word of the election sank in, Catholic leaders and parishioners across the province watched history unfold as Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and the first American ever to hold the role in history.
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Kavanagh, speaking on behalf of Archbishop Richard Smith, called the moment one of 'great joy' and said the quick election demonstrated the 'gift of the Holy Spirit within this election today.'
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But it was the chosen name that drew the attention of Bishop William McGrattan, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Calgary-based bishop noted the historical significance of invoking the name of Leo XIII, a Pope recognized for his outspoken advocacy on socio-economic issues during the Industrial Revolution.
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'I think his choice of Leo XIV is to go back to Leo XIII,' McGrattan said. 'There was a lot of division in Europe at the time. There were socio-economic problems. There was great poverty, unemployment, all of those issues, and the church was speaking out at that time through Leo XIII. So I think he is sending a message that the church's social teaching, that body of teaching and of truth, is important for the world today.'
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McGrattan, who has met Pope Leo XIV on several occasions, described him as 'a very quiet man' with 'a sense of justice,' someone who listens before he speaks and who seeks to understand the context of an issue before responding.
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'I found him to be very sensitive. A person who listens first before speaking, one who asks questions in order to be able to really appreciate the context of the issues that you're presenting,' he said.
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The election of the first American pope potentially offers a voice that speaks to the truth and helps both Americans and Canadians recognize the global impact of social issues they may not fully see at home, McGrattan said, calling it 'quite a surprise.'
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Leo XIV, who spent more than two decades as a missionary in Peru and has worked closely with Indigenous communities, brings with him what McGrattan calls 'a missionary heart,' who will 'make sure that we as brother bishops were supporting what Pope Francis did here in Canada.'
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