'Pope Leo, we're praying for you,' local Catholics say as the universal Church gets to know the first American-born pope
DETROIT — News of Pope Leo XIV’s election as the 267th pontiff has been met with a reaction of surprise and joy from Detroit’s clergy and lay faithful as they ponder what it means to have an American pope.
The former bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, who most recently served as prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops, spent much of his ministry in Peru, but his American roots are undeniable as a Chicago native and former prior provincial for the Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.
The duality of an American priest who was a bishop in South America as pope mirrors the parochial and universal aspect of the Church, said Fr. Tim Wezner, vice chancellor and episcopal vicar for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
“Anytime we receive a new Holy Father, of course, it’s a time to rejoice and celebrate,” Fr. Wezner told Detroit Catholic last week. “With the election of Pope Leo, who would have expected a pope from the United States? That’s very exciting for all of us.
“But at the same time, there’s something special about him coming from here, from the United States, from the Midwest,” Fr. Wezner added. “There’s a unique connection now that we can feel with our Holy Father. It’s an exciting time to see just how much the church body represents everyone around the world, including people nearby.”
Fr. Mario Amore, director of the Archdiocese of Detroit's Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, said it's telling that Pope Francis elevated a missionary from Peru to the cardinalate, and in turn, that the cardinals elected someone with an extensive missionary background to lead the Church.
“He was selected for his position by Pope Francis as head of the Dicastery for Bishops because he was a missionary, and that was important for Pope Francis, that somebody in that position has a missionary mindset that all priests and all bishops should have,” Fr. Amore said.
As the leader of a department focused on evangelization, Fr. Amore said it is encouraging to see the leader of the universal Church place evangelization and mission at the forefront of his ministry.
“That he had done work in the missions is a reminder to us of the universal nature of the Church and the fact that the Gospel is meant to be preached to every person in every part of the world,” Fr. Amore said. “We have a leader who understands that the United States is mission territory as well, how we need to go out and preach the Gospel in our own country.”
Detroit’s faithful were invited to celebrate Pope Leo XIV’s election with Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger on May 10 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, where the archbishop led the assembly in giving God thanks for the new pope, whose ministry is the focal point of the Church’s unity.
Annie Beiser, a second-grade teacher at Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Plymouth, was visiting the cathedral with her mother and took part in the Mass.
“I had never been to the cathedral before, so I was excited to celebrate Mass with my mother-in-law and my family, and it just so happened that Archbishop Weisenburger was celebrating Mass and Pope Leo’s election,” Beiser said. “It was a beautiful celebration.”
Beiser said her class closely followed the coverage of Pope Francis’ funeral and the subsequent conclave. The entire class burst with excitement as they watched the livestream and saw white smoke come from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on May 8.
Then the questions started flying.
“Oh my gosh, what questions don’t they ask?” Beiser exclaimed. “They asked me everything, so it was fun to go through the process with them, not only learning with them who the new pope was, but teaching them about each person who was up there, what their job was. We all were waiting through all the ceremonies, so it was a great way to practice the virtue of patience there together as a class.”
Beiser’s class has a simple message for Pope Leo XIV:
“Pope Leo, we’re praying for you and excited to be under your guidance,” Beiser said.
Kiera Raymond, president of Grizzly Catholic Campus Ministry at St. John Fisher University Parish at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, wanted to be part of every celebration of the new pope since he was announced to the world, describing the feeling as “mind-blowing” that the pope has Midwestern roots and has spent time in Michigan.
“I have just been absolutely overjoyed for the past couple of days, ever since he was elected,” Raymond said. “I wanted to continue the joyous celebrations by coming here to Mass at the cathedral.”
Raymond’s news feed has been filled with stories about the pope growing up in Chicago, his love for deep-dish pizza, his White Sox fandom and the multitude of memes circulating the internet about what a “Chicago-style” papacy will look like.
“The fact that he speaks fluent English, that’s been pretty cool to see so far,” Raymond said. “He grew up in the Chicago area but went to high school just over in southwest Michigan, so knowing that he has Michigan connections and is a baseball fan — there’s a video of him there at a game, and my mom’s a huge baseball fan — we’re super excited that our pope is a fan of American baseball.”
As Pope Leo XIV gets acclimated to his new ministry as pope, and Detroiters learn more about the new pope and his local connections, many expressed their hope for a papacy centered on unity.
“I’d like to see something similar to the pontificate of John Paul II, one that unites Catholics from all around the world,” Raymond said. “I’m excited for the future of American Catholicism. I think there could be great potential for many conversions and people coming deeper into the faith, because we have a pope who understands us.
"Beyond that, he's just a holy figure," Raymond added. "Everything that I’ve seen and heard from Pope Leo so far is he is very holy, very intelligent, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that combines into a wonderful pontificate.”
Pope Leo XIV’s background as a missionary who brings the Gospel to other corners of the world is an encouraging sign, Fr. Amore said.
“It’s a reminder of the true nature of the universality of the Catholic Church, that we encompass people from every land and every nation, and that’s what the pope is meant to symbolize as the vicar of Christ,” Fr. Amore said. “He mentioned in his opening address how the pope is meant to be a bridge builder — that’s what the word 'pontifex' means. So he is this bridge between not only heaven and earth, but between nations as well.”
