Cardinal Robert Prevost elected new Pope Leo XIV; Milwaukee Catholics react
The Brief
The first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church was elected on Thursday.
The Vatican announced Cardinal Robert Prevost as the next pope.
Milwaukee Catholics are celebrating Pope Leo XIV, as he is not just American – he's Midwestern.
MILWAUKEE - The College of Cardinals has elected its first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church, and Milwaukee Catholics are celebrating.
What we know
On Thursday, May 8, the Vatican announced Cardinal Robert Prevost as the next pope. He is taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
But he's not just American – he's Midwestern. 69-year-old Prevost is a Chicago native.
Local perspective
Roughly 4,700 miles from Vatican City, FOX6 News caught up with some parishioners during mass at the Church of the Gesu on Thursday.
"What an incredible time to be an American and a believer and a person," said Justyna Przychocka. "I have chills, and I'm in shock."
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"God has a purpose for everybody in life," Thomas Munoz said. "I guess this was this time to be a pope, you know, someone, but that's great."
Many, like Michael McCormack, took the moment to take their prayer a little further.
"Well, I was praying that the Cardinals will make a good decision and I will find out," he said. "From Chicago, USA, and I'm thrilled, very excited about that. But I don't know anything about him yet, so we'll find out more."
What they're saying
Fr. Nathan Linton said it is a time of joy.
"I think that is our call now too to pray for [the] pope, for blessings upon him, that he might leave the church well, and might be a sign of peace, unity, and a great witness to the love and the mercy of Jesus Christ," Linton said. "The fact that we have our very first American pope, you know, born in Chicago, is incredibly exciting."
Many said they hope Pope Leo XIV is able to bring unity.
The backstory
As pope, he is expected to continue Francis' progressive legacy, though he's described as being more "reserved" than his predecessor.
But who is the new leader of the Catholic Church?
His story starts just south of Milwaukee, with stops in South America before making his way to the Vatican.
Prevost was born in Chicago in 1955.
He earned a degree in mathematics from Villanova University, an Augustinian Catholic school in Philadelphia.
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From there, he's climbed the church's ranks – but not without controversy.
Prevost led the Augustinian province there, overseeing parishes and high schools.
In 2014, Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal and assigned him to a diocese in Peru. Francis came calling again in 2023, bringing Prevost to the Vatican to a powerful role: Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops – Milwaukee Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Haines said that experience should serve him well now.
"That's a really important job. If you make a decision on the wrong bishop, it doesn't help the diocese or the church. So, he's done a good job of trying to find the names and certainly do what Pope Francis asked of him, which was to make it a more diverse church, more inclusive," Haines said. "I think by choosing that name, he's making a strong statement that he has the same care of a just world and particularly concern for the poor and the needy."
Dig deeper
But the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP, told FOX6 News it's concerned with the new pope.
In March, SNAP filed a complaint against the then-Cardinal Prevost with the Vatican, accusing him of shielding priests accused of abuse from investigation.
While in Peru, the complaint notes, three women came to the then-bishop Prevost in 2022, accusing two priests of sexually abusing them while they were minors.
"It's a really hard day for survivors, especially for the ones in Peru who were personally impacted by that case," said Sarah Pearson with SNAP. "Is he going to be the pope that's going to enact zero tolerance? Is he going to be the pope that's going to permanently change the law of the Catholic Church so that it is no longer legal for somebody who's been shown to have abused a child to remain in ministry?"
The complaint says Prevost "failed" to investigate their claims, notify civil authorities, or restrict the accused priests from their ministry.
And that complaint goes to the same office then-Cardinal Prevost led until his historic election on Thursday.
Robert Prevost elected as new pope, will take the name Leo XIV
Who is Cardinal Robert Prevost? Leo XIV is first American pope
Pope Leo XIV's first address: Full text
First American pope: The world reacts
What is an Augustinian?
List: Countries with the most, fewest popes
Cardinal Robert Prevost elected new Pope Leo XIV: Here's what's next
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The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
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