Recently, the Catholic Church elected a new pope after the unfortunate passing of Pope Francis. Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on April 30. He was born in Illinois, meaning he is the first-ever American pope.
As a Catholic school, it’s important that we stay informed on things like this. Theology teachers and priests at NDA, Father Jordan and Father Patrick, have some insight and opinions on the new pope.
“I never expected a pope to come from the United States,” Father Jordan admitted. “This is an incredible opportunity for the U.S. Catholic Church to be an example of unity and faith.”
Father Jordan was influenced by interviews with the pope’s family.
“It reminded me that the pope is just like each of us. He comes from a family and humble beginnings,” he explained.
Father Jordan also pointed out the similarities between the religious orders.
“I don’t know anything about Pope Leo XIV, except that he was a part of the religious community the Augustinians. This is neat for us as Norbertines because we too follow the Rule of St. Augustine and have a similar spirituality to the Augustinians. Pope Leo XIV also attended the same seminary as Fr. Patrick and me, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.”
Father Patrick shared his view. “I actually met with Pope Leo XIV, then Fr. Robert Prevost, 11 years ago when I started my seminary studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
“Seminarians meet regularly with spiritual directors to discuss their prayer lives as well as their discernment of priesthood, and he was assigned to me for spiritual direction. Since it was the first meeting, I think I did most of the talking and shared my story with him. From what I remember, he struck me as a nice and prayerful priest,” he explained.
Shortly after this, Fr. Prevost was appointed bishop in Peru.
Father Patrick said, “I was pretty surprised that an American got elected pope. He was mentioned in pre-conclave speculation about possibly being elected. However, being American made him a dark horse candidate, and I personally didn’t think he had a chance.”
Both priests reflected on the impact of papal elections.
“It’s a wonderful thing to see people excited and interested in the Catholic faith,” Father Jordan said. “The papal elections always get people talking, and it shows that the faith is not dead but still plays a big role in the world.”
Father Patrick agreed, saying, “Even though people may not fully understand the papal selection process, it’s a great opportunity for educating and explaining the ways of the Catholic Church.”
They also share hopes for Pope Leo XIV’s leadership.
“I pray that Pope Leo XIV helps the Church to be engaged in the modern world, to foster unity within the Church, and to make the teachings of the Church clear and easy to understand,” Father Jordan said.
Father Patrick ended the discussion by saying, “Pope Leo XIV’s motto – ‘In the One, we are one’ – shows his approach to these challenges: keeping Jesus Christ at the center.”
