Habemus Papam

White smoke! Habemus Papam! We have a pope!

I wanted to share my thoughts on the conclave and the election of the new pope as a devout Catholic. The death of one pope and the transition to another is historic and does not happen often. It’s more exciting than the playoffs, world series or superbowl.

First a little bit about my religious background. My parents are Filipino. The Philippines is 80% Catholic. When they retired from work, my parents started going to church every day for mass. They’re active parishioners. My dad wanted to be a priest. My sister considered becoming a nun. I went to Catholic school from 1st grade through senior year of high school. I regularly go to Sunday mass. My nephew Benicio is named after Pope Benedict. My son Franco is named after Pope Francis. Franco goes to Catholic school.

In my life, I’ve known Pope John Paul II who I saw when I was vacationing in the Philippines in 1995. I watched him as he passed by in his pope-mobile. It was electric and I was in complete awe. Pope John Paul II was revered and known as the most-traveled pope. He spoke eight languages fluently and was conversational in a handful of others.

He was succeeded by Pope Benedict whose tenure was less than eight years. He is notable for his historical resignation.

I distinctly remember when Pope Francis was elected in 2013 and in a group text we called out my friend Jen because her dad is Argentinian. It’s so exciting to be able to claim some type of association with the pope–like the Chicagoans whooping it up for the new Pope. I remember Pope Francis being super humble (he asked the crowd to pray for him), and that humility played out throughout his tenure.

An American pope was not on anyone’s bingo card. It’s fair to say that the citizens of the world have a major disdain for Americans. They don’t like our leadership, our power, our greed, our brashness. We are unworldly and uncouth. Also, not many Americans are Catholic, let alone believe in God. Americans tend to be secular, atheist, and/or spiritual. Nothing wrong with this, but Catholic leadership ain’t going to pick someone who hails from a country of non-believers. It was such a long shot.

That said, from what I understand, every Pope chosen seems to have been a surprise pick. You never know what these religious dudes are going to do! I was rooting for Cardinal Tagle not because he was from the Philippines, but because he was considered the Asian Pope Francis, meaning he was for the people. My mother-in-law said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have an American Pope?” My kiddo Franco responded, “If his values are aligned with my values, then yes. But if not, then no.”

Given recent history, we would expect white smoke after 2-3 days, but because there were so many new cardinals, I was expecting it would take longer. True to form, Cardinal Robert Prevost from the U.S. was chosen on the 2nd day of the conclave. White smoke appeared. Bells rang out. The crowd cheered. There’s about an hour wait until the pope’s identity is announced and he gives his address, and a frantic flurry of research. Who is this guy? Here are the basics.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost (Pope Leo XIV) was born in Chicago and comes from Italian, French, Haitian, Creole roots. He majored in Math at Villanova and thereafter earned several religious degrees. He did missionary work in Peru for 14 years. He only became a cardinal in 2023, but was promoted by Pope Francis to oversee the election of bishops and was said to be close to Pope Francis.

In his address, Pope Leo said,

“Let us keep in our ears the weak but always brave voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome-the Pope who blessed Rome and the world that day on the morning of Easter. Allow me to continue that same blessing. God loves us, all of us; evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace. Thank you, Pope Francis!”

Pope Leo’s address is notable as he did not speak in his native tongue, instead choosing to start in Italian, then Spanish. More notably, he did not give a shout out to the Chicago Cubs or deep dish pizza. Instead, he warmly called out his diocese in Peru. Nothing in his address indicated that he’s American. Again, I don’t think he’s doing this selfishly, but he is positioning himself (and also considers himself) as a messenger of God who is trying to serve all the faithful. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German.

Cardinals choose their papal name and in this case Cardinal Prevost chose to be called Pope Leo XIV. Leo is a very traditional name, obviously it’s been chosen 14 times. It’s significant because Pope Leo XIII was known for social justice. Pope Leo XIV signals his commitment to tradition, social justice and also Pope Francis’s legacy.

Because I’m a devout Catholic doesn’t mean I revere every pope–just like we don’t revere every president. People are human and sometimes we like them and sometimes we don’t. Pope Francis was beloved. He was kind, generous, and down-to-earth. He shunned the papal palace and lived practically in a dorm with the Vatican staff. That guy was all love, humble to the core.

Catholicism means universal. We are the universal religion. We are welcoming. We are open. We do not believe we are superior to other religions. We believe if you live a good life and follow in the footsteps of Jesus that you will have everlasting life. The problem with religion is when you start interpreting scripture and saying that it’s a sin to be gay or get a divorce or have an abortion.

I am a devout Catholic and I myself am divorced. I’m pro-choice and a supporter of LGBTQ rights.

To me, Catholicism is love. People laugh or roll their eyes when I say that. I’m not here to convert anyone or proselytize, but I’d encourage you to listen to one of the homilies from my favorite priests. I swear to God, every homily is about being a better person, walking in faith, loving yourself and those around you. If Catholicism doesn’t mean love to you and instead it’s about doctrine and Bible passages and following strict rules, you’re going to the wrong church; or you’re being preached to by the wrong priest!

I am proud to be Catholic. This is a historic time and I could not be more excited and hopeful for the leadership and direction of the Catholic Church. Amen! Hallelujah!