Unity was a word often spoken by Catholics around metro Atlanta on a historic Thursday.
After white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney, an American was announced as the 267th pope. Robert Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV after becoming the first American elected pontiff, is a symbol of harmony for many Georgia residents.
“I think he’s going to bring that sense of unity, not just to Catholics, but people around (the world) and help us see our better side,” Scott Reilly, a priest at St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church in Cumming, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There‘s goodness in everyone.”
Leo a Chicago native and Peruvian citizen, spent years in that country as a missionary and later as archbishop. He twice served as the prior general of the Augustinian order, founded in the 13th century by St. Augustine, according to the Associated Press.
In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him to serve as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the influential Vatican office responsible for vetting bishop nominations, Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer of the Archdiocese of Atlanta said in a statement.
At the Cathedral of Christ the King in Buckhead, an evening adoration and Mass were attended mainly by regulars, while others came to pray for the new pope and take part in the momentous occasion.
Shilca Shibu, visiting from Chicago, stopped by the cathedral with a friend before the Spanish-language Mass, which drew about 50 attendees. Shibu, 27, said she looks forward to the new pope retaining the traditions of the church despite the changing landscape.
“It was honestly very surprising, but also kind of felt like home because the pope is from Chicago and the first one from America, so I think it’s so much better for the country. There is so much to look forward to,” Shibu said. “Based on how politics and religion are going on currently, I think there‘s so much more hope to look forward to.”
Her friend, 25-year-old Melissa John of Loganville, was ecstatic to share a birthday with Leo. For her, an American pope symbolizes not only international unity but also national unity. She described the occasion as “a new beginning for Americans,” and an opportunity to feel more aligned with their faith and the Catholic Church.
“I feel like this is just going to bring more light to us — our people,” she said. “I feel like American people are now going to feel more welcomed and more connected to our church.”
Reilly admitted feeling a bit surprised the cardinals picked an American, given the global influence the United States typically holds. The U.S. has the fourth-largest Catholic population of any country. Still, he noted that “everyone has the possibility of doing great things for God in this world.”
He explained the pope taking the name Leo holds great significance, as Pope Leo XIII was a champion of the dignity of the human person, which asserts the inherent worth and value of every individual.
“The fact that he was elected on the fourth ballot shows that the cardinals lined up pretty quickly behind him, and they know what they are looking for,” Reilly said.
The Rev. Monsignor Francis McNamee of the Cathedral of Christ the King was also astonished that an American was selected, but equally amazed by how quickly the cardinals chose Pope Francis’ successor. He said he expects Leo to bring unity and “tremendous” experience with him.
He called it a remarkable day for the American church.
“He seems to be a very pastoral man. He cares for the workers, and he comes across very genuine, very caring, and I think he will continue the pastoral work that Francis began,” McNamee said.
Pope Francis died April 21.
Robert Egan was only 12 when Francis was elected in 2013, and he was too young to remember Pope Benedict’s time as head of the Catholic Church.
The 24-year-old spent Thursday night at a weekly trivia event at the Marlay House Irish Pub in Decatur, where the host tested participants’ knowledge with questions like “Tell me the papal name that Robert Francis Prevost chose.”
“It’s exciting. It’s the first real papacy of my adulthood,” Egan said.
Egan was among a group of four men from the Atlantic Catholic Young Adults who regularly meet at the Marlay and was keenly interested in the historic news from the Vatican. He was especially excited for the papal name Prevost chose. The most previous Pope Leo, Leo XIII, led the church from 1878 to 1903, and was an “incredibly holy man” but also a pope “of a modern age.”
“His namesake inspires a lot of hope,” Egan said.
Sexual morality, family formation and fostering a return to faith among people who have left the church were among the many issues this group of young adult Catholics said they hope Leo XIV will address.
They expressed a shared consensus he would be a “middle of the road” figure who could bridge the gap between progressive and conservative ideologies within the church.
“It’s pretty cool that it’s an American pope,” said Jude Holmes, 27, a lifelong parishioner at nearby St. Thomas More Catholic Church. “I’m sure he’ll perform pretty well, and I’m sure they (the College of Cardinals) prayed pretty hard about it.”
Catherine Bailey, who has attended St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church in Kennesaw for more than 40 years, said she believes Leo will continue much of the work Francis championed. She added she thinks an American pope will be well-received nationally but hopes this acceptance extends internationally as well.
“I hope he continues a lot of the work Pope Francis started. I felt like we reached out to so many more people because we were all inclusive. I’m hoping he follows more of those lines of thinking, more of those philosophies that Pope Francis had,” the 73-year-old said.
Although Stefanie Zaenker, a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Buckhead, appreciated Francis’ work, she said she felt he sometimes strayed from the core teachings of Catholicism. She said she hopes Leo will focus more on the church’s doctrine.
Zaenker, 38, said she looks forward to the new pope continuing Francis’ focus on world peace and support for the poor, while also embracing more conservative and traditional values.
“People around the world have been divided in terms of just American influence … but our American politics have divided the global community. So I’m hoping that this will be a unifying force around the globe,” Zaenker said.
Julio Brenes, 43, who attended adoration at Cathedral of Christ the King with several others, said the Holy Spirit always has a way of surprising people. Like several others in the metro area, Brenes sees an American pope as a symbol of potential togetherness.
“With everything that is happening — socially and politically and internationally — it’s kind of wonderful to have something to look forward to for better social and community unity,” he said.
Senior editor Ligaya Figueras contributed to this article.
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