North Texas Catholics celebrate the news of a new pope
The Brief
Students on the University of Dallas campus cheered as the first-ever American-born pope was selected on Thursday.
Some were surprised. Many are excited and hopeful, praying for what the new leader of the Catholic Church will be.
DALLAS - Dozens of students poured into the University of Dallas' student union on Thursday to witness history being made.
They joined people from across the globe who celebrated, chanted, prayed, and shed tears of joy as the first American pope was announced.
What we know
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was selected just before noon locally, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
The 69-year-old cardinal was born in Chicago and is a dual Peruvian citizen. He served in Peru as a bishop and archbishop for years.
He was then summoned to Rome by Pope Francis in 2023 as head of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Local perspective
Emotion, excitement, and expectation filled the atmosphere at the University of Dallas on Thursday.
Students rushed to the student union as the word spread that white smoke was billowing from the smokestack above the Sistine Chapel.
It was standing room only in the Catholic college's union as the next pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics was revealed.
Many students and staff knelt in prayer while Pope Leo XIV pronounced his first blessing over the Catholic Church.
They joined in with the singing outside the Vatican as the national anthem was played in honor of the first American-born pope in the church's 2,000-year history.
What they're saying
Dr. Susan Hanssen is a papacy historian at the University of Dallas.
"I'm very surprised at how quick it was. And I'm very surprised at how quickly the cardinals gathered around not one of the top, not one of the frontrunners in the eyes of the media, but instead Cardinal Prevost," she said.
Hanssen described Pope Leo as a low-key, reflective, and spiritual man.
"I think that he's going to be a kind of low-key figure. You can already see him tearing up at the prospect of being pope. He's not one of these strong, charismatic, outgoing cardinals. He's been in the background. He's an Augustinian monk, and the spirituality of the Augustinians is very interior and reflective. And so he's very much of the missionary spirit. But I don't think we're going to see the kind of booming voice of John Paul the Second or the gregarious sense of humor of Pope Francis," she said.
Several students shared their emotional thoughts with FOX 4.
"This is a very historic moment and the fact that we are all here as a community to witness this moment and just feel the Holy Spirit in this room," said student Jessica Josefsberg.
J.P. St. Pierre was excited as a fellow Peruvian-American.
"And as a Peruvian, I mean, this is incredible. My mom, half of my family, is from Lima. Peru-born and raised. I mean, it's extremely emotional," he said.
Others said they are praying for what the new leader of the Catholic Church will be.
"A pope that smells like his sheep, a humble pope, and somebody to continue on the legacy of love and of universality just as Pope Francis did," said Gabrielle Nagle.
"Just have a symbol of unity for us and a voice that we can all look to and listen to for guidance," added Max Muth.
The Source
FOX 4's Shaun Rabb gathered the information for this story while at a papal watch party on the University of Dallas campus.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Historic Juneteenth document debuts in Dallas
The Brief The only known original Juneteenth General Order No. 3 will be on exhibit at Fair Park's Hall of State in Dallas starting June 19. The historical document signifying the end of slavery in Texas was brought to Dallas by a Galveston newspaperman, G.B. Dealey. The exhibit is free and will continue to be on display through the end of the State Fair of Texas. DALLAS - The only known remaining, the original Juneteenth General Order No. 3, will go on exhibit at Fair Park's Hall of State on June 19. Civil rights leaders said it is special that Dallas gets to have this special piece of history. The only known copy of the order that symbolized the end of slavery both here in Texas and in the United States. What we know The Dallas historical society says their founder, a Galveston newspaperman, G.B. Dealey, brought this original copy of General Order No. 3 to Dallas, when he moved here from Galveston to start the Dallas Morning News. Executive director, Karl Chiao, says Dealey's family donated the hand bill to the historical society in the 1960's. "They came to Texas with a stack of bills passing them out. The only one that kept them was a newspaper in Galveston," said Chiao. "When we went through it, we realized we had one of the original hand bills that had been passed out to let slaves know they were free in Texas." Collections curator Kaitlyn Price says the order was recently framed in special glass that will protect it from UV light, as well as dust particles. "There are a few printed versions. This is the only one we know of that is an original-printed version signed by General Granger himself," said Price. "[This document] would have been posted in town squares, city halls and carried by union soldiers." The backstory The order guaranteed the "absolute equality of personal rights". Once on display to the public on June will be surrounded by other interactive exhibits that show how the order was received with firsthand accounts that often included the phrase, "you are as free as I am." Marvin Dulaney is the deputy director of the African-American museum and spoke on the historical significance of this document. "It is one of the significant documents in American history that signifies the end of slavery in Texas and the United States," said Dulaney. "It means a lot to me that we have this here in Dallas, of all places. Signifies Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 took another 2.5 years before it got to Texas, but when it got to Texas it was conclusive for ending slavery in this country." What they're saying Levi Davis, the first African American assistant city manager in Dallas, will be part of the panel discussions. He says change in Dallas took a long time. "Dallas was a different place. I became in charge of the police department and I called the police chief who reported to me. But he wouldn't answer the phone because I was black, although I was his boss," said Davis. What's next The document will continue to be on display through the end of the State Fair of Texas. The exhibit will be open to the public, starting with a panel discussion here on Thursday, June 19 at 6:30 pm. It is free, but a reservation is required. The Source Information in this article was provided by interviews conducted by FOX 4's Lori Brown.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
2026 corn murals to feature patriotic theme
MITCHELL, S.D. (KELO)– Next year marks the 250th anniversary of America. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4th, 1776. The Corn Palace in Mitchell is getting ready for the milestone. Rescue at Hippie Hole in the Black Hills Next year's murals will be all about the U.S. 'They're really representative of what our country's been through,' Corn Palace Director Dave Sietsema said. The patriotic theme of the 2026 designs coincides with the 250th anniversary of the country. 'We have some recruiting posters from the WWII era, we have the Wright Brothers aviation, we have the American eagle, the American flag, symbols like that that our country draws itself to to celebrate our patriotic side and who we are as a country,' Sietsema said. While the current murals will still remain up for months, work is underway to replace the material surrounding the murals. 'We've got a crew of high school and college kids who come back, we go out to any particular farmer's field and pick sour dock, like this right out of the field, and then we come back and we put in it a bundle like this,' Field Director Clark Mickelson said. The rye will also be replaced. Later this year, it will be time to add the new murals. 'Probably in October, November when the corn is harvested. It takes about 60 acres of corn to cover the corn palace,' Sietsema said. The murals were designed by Dakota Wesleyan students studying digital media and design. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Georgia airman who went missing in action during WWII recovered
A Georgia airman who went down in the Baltic Sea during World War II has been declared recovered six years after divers found an American bomber off the coast of Denmark. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Thursday that U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Milton L. Hymes, Jr., 22, of Savannah, was accounted for Nov. 21, 2024. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Hymes, the navigator onboard a B-24J 'Liberator' bomber, died on June 20, 1944, when his plane crashed into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark. The aircraft, with 10 crew members, had departed Bungay, England, on a bombing mission to Politz, Germany. The plane collided with another B-24 in the same formation. The aircraft exploded when it hit the water, and two crew members were blown clear. The pilot and co-pilot survived and were rescued by Danish fishermen, taken into captivity by the Germans and eventually returned to Allied control. German records indicate they recovered the body of one crew member but do not report how they disposed of the body. Evidence suggested that Hymes and the six other crew members were killed in the crash. Hymes was declared dead by the U.S. War Department on June 21, 1945. The American Graves Registration Command tried to find Hymes and the rest of the crew, even searching remains that washed up on the coast. These efforts were ultimately fruitless, and Hymes was declared non-recoverable on May 12, 1950. In 2019, divers alerted the Royal Danish Navy to a WWII-era aircraft wreck in the general area where Hymes' aircraft crashed. A .50 caliber machine gun with a damaged serial number pointed to the craft being the lost bomber. The Royal Danish Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal cleared the site of unexploded ordnance in August 2021. This allowed Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency partner the University of Delaware and the Royal Danish Navy to survey the underwater site. The survey found human remains and enough evidence to recommend the site for further study. Additional excavation and recovery operations in 2022-2024 found more evidence, including remains and the ID tags of two crew members. Organizations that helped in the search and record efforts include Trident Archäologie, Wessex Archaeology, volunteers from Project Recover, stakeholders from the Royal Danish Navy and the Langelands Museum. To identify Hymes' remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence. Scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System also used mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA analysis. Hymes' name is recorded on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. Hymes will be buried in Thunderbolt, Georgia, on a date yet to be determined. TRENDING STORIES: Driver charged in crash that killed South Fulton police captain appears in court Driver pulls out knife on couple driving too slow in Kennesaw neighborhood, police say 'Black Mecca' no longer? Atlanta prices cause families to move out of the city [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
