Here's what U.S. Catholics are saying about the election of Pope Leo XIV

Parishioners commune during a wide astatine Holy Name Cathedral successful Chicago connected Sunday. Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption

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Nam Y. Huh/AP

When Catholics crossed the U.S. attended Sunday services this weekend, it was the archetypal clip successful past they had done truthful with an American pope sitting successful the Vatican.

On Thursday, the College of Cardinals selected Chicago-born Robert Prevost to pb the religion of immoderate 1.4 cardinal adherents worldwide. He took the name Pope Leo XIV.

Some U.S. Catholics took peculiar pridefulness successful the predetermination of the archetypal American pontiff, who has familial ties to aggregate places crossed the country.

On Sunday, New Orleans nonmigratory Meaghan Gibson said Pope Leo seems "very down to Earth" and that she was excited by his predetermination — adjacent much due to the fact that members of his household erstwhile lived successful the city.

"The information that his household comes from New Orleans is amazing," Gibson, 37, told NPR subordinate presumption WWNO's Rosemary Westwood. "Hopefully helium volition grace america with his beingness sometime during his papacy."

Leo's grandparents Joseph and Louise Martinez lived successful New Orleans earlier moving to Chicago sometime betwixt 1910 and 1912, according to the Historic New Orleans Collection. Their location sat connected a crippled of onshore that was aboriginal taken to physique a highway, the depository and probe halfway discovered.

"So perchance if that had not been built, the household might've inactive been here," Gibson said. "It's precise astonishing to spot that hap and cognize his grandparents got joined conscionable down the thoroughfare from our location church."

Angie Spencer, who was attending services astatine St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church successful Houston connected Sunday, told The Texas Newsroom's Lucio Vasquez that there's a batch of enthusiasm surrounding the predetermination of the archetypal American pontiff.

"I person a small grandson. He conscionable told maine successful religion today, 'You cognize what, grandma? I'm going to beryllium a clergyman and past I'm going to beryllium a bishop and past I'm going to beryllium a pope,'" Spencer said. "Even he's catching onto it."

She said she hoped Leo would proceed immoderate of the enactment of his predecessor, Pope Francis, specified arsenic reaching retired to the mediocre and trying to unify radical crossed the world.

Spencer, who is 74, said with a laughter that she's "seen a batch of popes!" She added: "Pope Francis I loved, and Pope Leo volition travel close on successful his footsteps and bash adjacent greater things."

At Holy Name Cathedral successful Chicago connected Sunday, radical took selfies successful beforehand of a billboard congratulating Pope Leo — a metropolis autochthonal — connected his papal election, according to Chicago Public Media's Jake Wittich.

Chicago nonmigratory Sara Schroeder said it was a historical infinitesimal for the state and for the city. "Mass was beautiful," Schroeder said. "The clergyman was precise blessed astir Pope Leo. People were cheering that he's from Chicago, and radical would clap anytime that was mentioned."

Schroeder's daughter, Caitlin Thigpen, added: "It's similar he's the hometown hero."

On Thursday, the evening wide astatine the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle successful Washington, D.C., turned into a thanksgiving for the caller pope, WAMU's Jackson Sinnenberg reported.

"As helium begins his pontificate," said Father Isaac Sagastume, "may the cosmopolitan religion person its caller pastor with joyousness and a renewed consciousness of missionary zeal."