Pope Leo XIV has roots in west Michigan
Pope Leo XIV's Midwestern roots extend to west Michigan, where he attended a seminary high school near Holland.
The big picture: Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American pope and now heads a church with some 1.4 billion members worldwide.
Zoom in: Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago and grew up in a suburb just south of the city.
He had an interest in the priesthood at an early age, enrolling in St. Augustine Seminary High School in Allegan County, the New York Times reported.
Flashback: Kalamazoo Bishop Edward Lohse met Prevost in 2023 at a conference, where they discussed his ties to Michigan, Lohse told the Detroit News.
What they're saying:"Not only do we know him now as our pope, but he also knows us because he was a priest here in western Michigan," Lohse told the News.
Wes Rehwoldt, who was the pope's classmate at St. Augustine and later Villanova University, said he cried when he heard of Prevost's selection on TV.
"We really didn't think there was a big chance that that was going to happen, until the announcement came and they said 'Robert Francis' — and I couldn't hear anything else," Rehwoldt, 69, told the Times.
Zoom out: Leo's power will transcend the faith community as he assumes a role with vast diplomatic and social influence.
The new pope is generally seen to be continuing the more progressive stances that Pope Francis voiced — a more open, inclusive church focused on giving voice to the voiceless.
A verified account by his name has retweeted and shared critical posts about the Trump administration, and he's spoken out against the environment's deterioration.
The new pope also said he does not believe in " clericalizing women" in the Catholic Church and opposes abortion.
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