'A monumental day': Catholics in Washington embrace the first US-born pope

WASHINGTON – Across the nation’s capital, Catholics joyously welcomed the quality of the church’s archetypal U.S.-born pope.

“I ne'er thought successful my beingness I would spot an American pope,” said Rev. Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the manager of St. Matthew’s Cathedral. “Today is an highly joyful day.”

On May 8, the astir elder figured successful the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to beryllium the 267th pope conscionable 1 time aft the papal conclave commenced. Originally from Chicago, the 69-year-old served much than 4 decades arsenic a missionary and a bishop successful Peru, wherever helium became a naturalized citizen.

The caller pontiff, who chose the sanction Leo XIV, was not among the favorites to win Pope Francis, who died past period astatine the property of 88. Still, his enactment was a welcomed astonishment for galore Washingtonians.

Jameson, who leads operations astatine the parent religion of the archbishop of Washington, said the announcement of Pope Leo XIV “totally shocked” him, though helium anticipates the caller pontiff volition propulsion for unity, bid and inclusivity – arsenic Francis had.

“He is idiosyncratic who volition proceed the enactment of Francis and, for me, that’s precise important,” Jameson said, watching arsenic a unit of attraction workers traded the achromatic bunting with a vibrant achromatic and golden draping to commemorate a caller pope with the colors of the Holy See.

When Gabby Innamorato and immoderate of her coworkers heard the cardinals had selected a caller pope, she rushed retired of her bureau and headed into St. Matthew’s Cathedral crossed the street.

Innamorato, who works astatine a nonprofit, said she was unfamiliar with the caller pontiff's sanction arsenic she was hoping for Luis Antonio Tagle, of the Philippines, to win Francis. But, aft listening to Pope Leo XIV’s archetypal words from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, she feels hopeful that the caller person of the Catholic Church, similar Francis, volition beryllium “a antheral of the people.”

“This is simply a surprise, but not successful a atrocious way,” she said. “I conscionable did not expect it.”

Lucero Rossi, 36, said Leo was the benignant of pope she has been praying for since Francis' death.

To Rossi, who was calved successful Mexico but works successful the U.S. arsenic an economist, the issues that substance astir are migration and the environment. And successful the abbreviated clip she’s spent speechmaking up connected Leo’s statements, she believes helium volition travel successful his predecessor's footsteps and propulsion for advancement connected some issues.

“He seems to person a precise pro-immigrant agenda,” she said, “so I americium precise blessed astir that.”

Rossi watched arsenic helium made his archetypal nationalist quality astatine St. Peter’s Basilica, opening successful Italian with “Peace beryllium with you all.” But what stuck retired astir of each was the infinitesimal helium greeted his diocese successful Chicago and Peru successful Spanish – not English.

“I truly loved that,” she said. “That was an clasp of the Latin American world.”

Isaac Sagastume, an ordained clergyman for the Archdiocese of Washington, said “it’s a precise breathtaking clip for the religion successful the United States.”

Sagastume, who announced to a roaring applause astatine the commencement of the day wide that achromatic fume could beryllium seen emanating from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel – indicating a caller pope had been chosen. He said Leo is simply a person good suited to woody with the world’s galore existent affiliations.

“He was a campaigner that had acquisition of the religion successful the U.S., but besides successful Latin America and the religion astatine large,” said Sagastume.

Standing extracurricular the religion wherever helium concisely met Pope Francis successful 2016, Sagastume said Francis “set a path” for Leo and helium hopes to spot a “pastoral continuation” from the caller caput of the Vatican.

U.S. politicians besides chimed successful with good wishes and benignant words for the caller pontiff. Speaking to the media, President Donald Trump said “To person the Pope from America is simply a large honor.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, the archetypal Peruvian-American subordinate of Congress, said connected X that helium wishes Leo “strength arsenic helium steps into his relation arsenic a planetary and spiritual leader.”

“He has demonstrated that helium believes successful justness for the mediocre and immigrants,” Garcia said. “May his enactment bespeak these ideals arsenic helium spreads bid crossed the world.”

Hours aft Leo made his archetypal ceremonial greeting arsenic the caller pope, a assemblage of faithful Catholics filled the pews astatine the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic religion successful North America.

As the evening wide began, Rev. Msgr. Vito A. Buonanno, pronounced “He’s American!” to a thunderous roar of applause. “I ne'er thought I’d unrecorded to spot it,” helium added.

Catherine and Steven Miggemeier attended the wide aft a much than 4 hr thrust from Long Island, New York. They came to Washington to prime up their daughter, a sophomore astatine Catholic University of America, and decided to driblet into the adjacent religion to people the historical day.

The lifelong Catholics said they anticipation Leo volition bring much radical to the Catholic religion and show, arsenic Francis did, that “the religion is unfastened to everyone.”

Catherine Miggemeier, who was successful New York erstwhile Francis made his lone U.S. sojourn successful 2015, besides said she hopes Leo volition soon instrumentality to his autochthonal onshore and marque respective appearances crossed North America. Until then, she said she volition clasp the excitement of a caller typical of God connected Earth.

“This is simply a monumental day,” she said.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Catholics successful Washington observe 'monumental day'