An American pope: How will US Catholics respond?

Yahoo

09-05-2025

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – An unprecedented reveal: Chicago-born Robert Prevost, 69, became the first American Pope to the Catholic Church on May 8- surprising many across the U.S., including local historians.
'I've never had conversations with people anticipating that there would be an American Pope,' David Burrow, associate professor of history and chair of the department of History for the University of South Dakota (USD), said.
Prevost took the name Pope Leo XIV, signifying the start to his journey in global leadership. But what does the pope's historic election mean for America as a global superpower?
Bishop Kettler pleased with Pope Leo XIV's first message
'I think it depends on whether you think that the present American leadership- which seems to be taking the U.S. out of its the global role that it's held since 1945, since the end of World War II- whether [Pope Leo's] in alignment or opposition to that,' Burrow said.
According to Burrow, the U.S. support for Pope Leo could be broken down in two ways: Whether he leads the church to embrace refugees and immigration, or if he stays in alignment with the Trump administration's view of immigration.
Burrow said recent circulations of social media posts from Prevost before he was named pope could suggest that he will continue in the steps of his predecessor, Pope Francis, in favor of supporting refugees and immigrants across the world.
An X account under the name Robert Prevost created tweets criticizing the Trump administration for justifying its crackdown on illegal immigration on the basis of faith. Even further, the Prevost account reposted content against the administration for deportations in the U.S.
'He is a Pope who is going to continue to stand against some of the anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, and against the kind of nativist vision of Catholicism that some of those people articulate,' Burrow said.
Pope Leo's first words mentioned a church that builds bridges, open dialogue, and open arms for everyone. Burrow said this mimics the teachings of Pope Francis, whom Pope Leo mentioned several times in his speech. Pope Francis made Prevost a cardinal back in 2023.
Injured Nobles County deputy recovering in rehab center
When Prevost emerged as the new pope in 2025, he didn't speak English, but rather Italian, Spanish, and Latin- which Burrow called conspicuous. Prevost knows five different languages.
'It's interesting to see how in the long-term, Catholics in the U.S. are going to respond to this Pope,' Burrow said.
During the two-day election, Burrow believes Prevost was seen as more than just an American, crediting Prevost's missionary work and dual citizenship in Peru.
'I think within the church, he's viewed as a more global figure- someone associated not coming from the United States, but also associated with the global South, the way that Pope Francis was associated with Argentina,' Burrow said.
Despite his excitement for an American Pope, Burrow said Prevost should be recognized more for his career and missionary work in Peru, which started in 1988. Before his career, Prevost graduated from the Villanova University in Pennsylvania with a degree in mathematics in 1977.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.