‘He's a humble man': Cleveland bishop reacts after first American pope elected
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The election of Pope Leo XIV as the first American-born pontiff is generating strong reaction in Northeast Ohio's Catholic community.
The choice that some found surprising led to joyous celebrations from Vatican City to the Diocese of Cleveland, a spiritual home to more than 600,000 Catholics.
Among those praising the selection of Pope Leo as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church is Bishop Edward Malesic of Cleveland.
'They're cheering and celebrating because, you know, we're proud when one of our own is recognized as being a leader,' he told reporters.
President Trump reacts to new pope: 'Meaningful'
Malesic said Leo will bring a unique perspective to the leadership of the church, as someone born and educated in the U.S., but with experience in South America and other parts of the world.
'He's a worldwide figure. He is a person that understand the world. He certainly understands the United States and the thinking of Americans and how we operate and I'm going to be helpful to him because we're a significant church here in the United States,' he said.
Malesic told reporters that he met the then-Bishop Robert Prevost in 2015 during a program for new bishops at a college outside Rome, and the man who would become pope volunteered to drive him into downtown Rome.
'I can tell you he's a humble man. I can tell you that he's a joy-filled man and certainly a man who is willing to help a fellow bishop in need to get from one place to another, so someone said he was my driver but that's not quite true,' said Malesic with a laugh.
What Pope Leo XIV's name choice may signal
According to the bishop, one of the issues Leo must face is convincing people of faith who have left the church to return to the Catholic community.
'How do you evangelize that part of the world that is drifting away from the gospel and drifting away from religious practice and drifting away from a spirituality that is rooted in community? Not in individuals, I think people are individually spiritual, but as a community of spirituality, people are not as trusting of that,' said Malesic.
We are told the term 'pontiff' comes from a Latin word that means 'bridge builder.' The bishop said he believes Pope Leo can fill that role for many people around the world.
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