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Local clergies react to first American pope
A new dawn for Catholicism has been entered following the election of the 267th pope, Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first North American and United States born pope in papacy history.
With 23% of Texans identifying themselves as Catholics, the news comes as positive for Catholic Americans who look forward to the first papacy at the hands of a Chicago, Illinois native.
In addition to holding U.S. citizenship, the new pope, born Robert Francis Prevost, has a long-standing history in Peru and holds citizenship there as well, spending more than two decades serving as an Augustinian missionary and as bishop of Chiclayo.
Local clergy members Fr. Wayne Wilkerson, of Immaculate Conception in Sealy, and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Deacon Andrew Nunmaker, reacted to the news of Pope Leo’s election, with Wilkerson himself being in the Vatican City and in attendance for the ceremony at the time of his election.
“I never thought that I would see an American Pope or an American born Pope in my lifetime,” said Wilkerson. “I was both surprised and very pleased. To see it live was very much a historic moment. I think it means continuity of the vision of Pope Francis that will continue with Pope Leo.”
Wilkerson highlights how his impression of the new pope sees him as a leader who will be unafraid to speak about his beliefs and touch on the political climate of the United States.
“As an American, I don’t think he will be shy to let his thoughts and opinions be heard, but I think he will be measured in his approach,” said Wilkerson. “I think he will be attentive to those who are marginalized and who are in great need. There is a lot going on in our political climate that we line in today, and he understands the difficulty in garnering peace in the world. I think by extending the invite to Putin and Zelensky, he’s more than extended an olive branch to open the basket as a neutral place for both leaders to meet in order to try to work on peace terms. I think that speaks highly.”
Nunmaker on the other hand was surprised by how fast the new pope was elected given that he wasn’t well known by the general public. He says that he actually likes the new Pope given his first speech and background and looks forward to seeing how his papacy plays out.
“Do I like the new Pope? I would say yes,” said Nunmaker. “He will be different than Pope Francis, but is highly intelligent, speaks five different languages fluently and has extensive global experiences. He seems to be very down to earth and very concerned for the poor. He seems to be a very gifted man.”
Nunmaker despite his roundabout approval of the new pope, looks for clarification on certain stances, but will look forward to where and how the pope stands.
“On certain issues we can only go by his past leanings,” said Nunmaker. “These could have some challenges given the huge responsibilities he has now. On the LGTB issue, his views have been unclear. Some in the College of Cardinals seem to think he may be less supportive than Pope Francis, but we will see.”
