Photo: AFP
Habemus Papam- “We have a Pope!” The world, and its estimated 1.4 billion Catholics in particular, had waited since Tuesday to hear those two Latin words when the conclave began its secluded task to replace the late Pope Francis. Surprisingly, after only four votes, white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel roof, indicating that Robert Prevost, an American-born cardinal from Peru and former superior general of the Order of Saint Augustine, had been selected as the 267th Pope and taken the name Leo XIV- and that’s when the real speculation began. In what direction does the new pope intend to lead the Catholic Church, and how much of the work of Pope Francis will he retain, revise or replace? 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program spent time on the day after mulling over the reaction to the selection of Leo.
Former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who can be heard on WOR every Saturday at 4pm, was in Vatican City covering the election. He was handicapping the odds the ten eligible American cardinals might have when the white smoke surprised everyone: “If you look at his resume, he checks a lot of boxes, you know. He was in a diocese, he grew up in Chicago, he did mission work, as they do in the Augustinians, he was worldwide, visited 50 countries, he spent time in the Vatican, had very high positions, so he knows how it runs and how it works, and he knows all the players. So, he really did fit just about every box.”
So where does Leo lead the Catholic Church at a time that many are calling a crossroads between traditional values and modern-day inclusion? Monsignor Joseph Grimaldi, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Brooklyn, believes Leo’s experience as a priest in America and as a bishop and cardinal abroad make him the perfect fit for today’s Catholic Church: “He really understands the Church, he understands the issues that face the Church in the United States at this time. So, I think we’re going to have a Pope- we’re going to have a man- who would really listen and understand the complexity of not only the American Church but the Church throughout the world.”
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