Share
Catholics around the world watched with anticipation Thursday as white smoke rose above the Vatican, signaling the election of a new pope. In a historic moment for the Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost emerged as Pope Leo XIV, the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the first-ever U.S.-born pontiff.
As a Jesuit, Catholic university, Loyola University Chicago joins the global celebration with prayer, hope, and pride—and reflects on deep spiritual and cultural connections to the papacy and the Church.
“Loyola University Chicago joins with Chicago and the global Church in celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV, a native of Chicago and the first North American to be elected pope,” said Loyola President Mark C. Reed, EdD. “We offer our prayers and support as he leads the Church forward and strengthens its mission of peace, love, and service.”
As the world received the historic announcement, Claire Noonan, vice president for Mission Integration, captured the pride of what it meant in that moment to be part of the Loyola community, the Chicago community, and the global Catholic community, as Pope Leo XIV continued Pope Francis’s call for synodality.
“With special joy, the community of Loyola University Chicago celebrates the election of Cardinal Prevost—a person born, raised, and educated in our city—as Pope Leo XIV,” said Noonan. “Having just moments earlier graduated hundreds of students from the Quinlan School of Business, we gathered to hear his first message from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to the Vatican City and the world. He invited us to walk hand in hand ‘searching all together for peace and justice.’ And I thought, yes, yes, Holy Father, we walk with you in dialogue and bridge-building, encounter and love.”
Loyola’s bells ring out as campus community celebrates historic moment
On the Lake Shore Campus, Loyola’s own Madonna della Strada Chapel bells rang out for 15 minutes in celebration of the election of the new pope. Across campus, Loyola’s Jesuit Community reacted with excitement.
Father Dan Hartnett, S.J., has met with Pope Leo XIV, then Cardinal Robert Prevost, on several occasions. “He is one of the nicest persons you would ever want to meet—friendly, kind, warm, and humble,” said Hartnett. “Leo XIII was very much rooted in the social mission of the church. So, announcing [the name Leo] speaks to Pope Leo XIV’s intentions.”
Raised in the United States, Pope Leo XIV previously served as bishop in Peru for more than a decade.
“We have a hope that [he]‘s going to continue some of the work of Pope Francis,” said Father Richard Salmi, S.J., university chaplain, and canonical chaplain for Madonna della Strada Chapel, and rector of the Loyola Jesuit Community.
“There’s a huge connection between the Midwest Jesuits and Jesuits in Peru. It is a really strong connection,” said Paula Skye Tallman, assistant professor of anthropology and the Carolyn Farrell, BVM, Endowed Professor in Women and Leadership at the Gannon Center. “So, to have somebody from the Midwest who lived in Peru as the pope is obviously super exciting.”
Father Matthew Dunch, S.J., assistant professor of philosophy, reflected on the significance of Pope Leo XIV’s background in canon law: “One of the critiques of Pope Francis was he wasn’t much of a CEO, he was more kind of charismatic. So it’ll be interesting since Cardinal Robert Prevost has had a variety of leadership positions in different areas … I think a lawyer is actually a good person to do that.”
Students inspired by a new era for the Church
Two Loyola students, Amy Abueg and Matthew Battaglia, joined Live NOW to share their reflections as young Catholics.
“I would like to see a continuation on Pope Francis’s emphasis on walking with the poor,” Battaglia said.
Abueg added, “In some of his first words as Pope, he mentioned building bridges. …That’s something that gives me hope for something that the Church is and can be.”
Caleb Ham, a student studying at the John Felice Rome Center, extended his time abroad to witness the historic moment.
“There’s no Church if you don’t focus on the youth,” Ham told ABC 7. “Even more so seeing an American as the pope is really just going to, like, push me to deep dive, even deeper into my faith.”
Loyola experts offer insight to national and international media
Loyola voices are helping audiences understand the significance of the first U.S.-born pope—notably, a native of Chicago—through theological, cultural, and historical contexts.
“…this quick arrival really shows that this man was offering something in his own personality, in his relationship with these other cardinals, in the way he was able to navigate some of the needs of the Church,” Father Paddy Gilger, S.J., assistant professor of sociology and director of the McNamara Center for the Study of Religion, shared with WTTW.
“Most heartening to me is his choice of name, which obviously contains an allusion to Leo XIII, and his famous text Rerum novarum. This supported labor rights and unions in the church at the dawn of the contemporary world,” Associate Professor for the Institute of Pastoral Studies Michael Canaris told Axios.
“The vision of the gospel, which is to care for our neighbors, to care for everyone…especially for those who are marginalized, oppressed, the poor, those that suffer from violence…this is at the forefront of Pope Leo,” Miguel H. Díaz, the John Courtney Murray, S.J., University Chair in Public Service, told MSNBC.
Michael Murphy, director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, spoke with NPR about how a continuation of Pope Francis’s Building Bridges Initiative, led to a meeting with (at the time) Cardinal Prevost. “I think he could be a true bridge builder,” Murphy shared.
As the Loyola community reflects on this historic moment, there is a shared sense of welcome and hope.
A celebratory Mass will be held on Sunday, May 18, at 10:30 a.m. in Madonna della Strada Chapel on the Lake Shore Campus.
