One local expert discussed the significance of this historic naming of Pope Leo XIV.
VIRGINIA, USA — For the first time in history, cardinals selected an American as the leader of the catholic church.
Following two days of voting, the papal conclave named Robert Prevost as the 267th pope.
Prevost, now named Pope Leo XIV, is the first pope born in the United States.
Previously, before Prevost was named the next pope, he served in the Vatican as the head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops.
Matthew Gabriele, a professor of religion and culture at Virginia Tech, said people can expect Pope Leo to carry on the work of his predecessor, Pope Francis, by having a focus on helping migrants, the poor, and other vulnerable populations.
Gabriele said there are several likely reasons Pope Leo is popular with the cardinals, one being his beliefs over current U.S. politics.
“He understands the North American context in a way that his predecessors did not,” Gabriele explained.
Gabriele explained that politics are also important in the Catholic Church. They typically hold a stance on political issues, especially when they relate to the whole world.
For example, they have announced their opinions on climate change mitigation, among other major worldly issues.
“Prevost has been a support of aggressive climate change mitigation policies. Just like his predecessor has.
Gabriele says Prevost will be formerly installed as the pope in coming weeks during a public mass.
