The new pope of the Roman Catholic Church is an American, and members of the Archbishop Carroll community say they are excited about him.
“’I’m excited,” said Terri Mastripolito, an avid Catholic who is a parent to the writer of this story as well as two Carroll graduates. “I love that he’s an American, and I think he’s going do good things for the Church.”
Mr. Anthony Cimorelli of the theology department said he was excited, too.
“I’m excited for you guys [the students] that you got to see it, because it doesn’t happen very frequently,” Mr. Cimorelli said. “It gives Americans a lot of hope.”
Campus minister and theology teacher Mrs. Josephine Gandolfo expressed similar sentiments.
“Never in my life did I think I would see an American Pope.” Mrs. Gandolfo said. “I think that this pope may be able to bridge any division that is occurring in our church right now.”
On May 8, Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost became the 267th pope, adopting the name Pope Leo XIV. He was chosen on the second day of the Papal Conclave, which was convened following the April 21 death of Pope Francis.
The pope always wanted to be a priest, his brother, John Prevost, told ABC News for a story published May 9. John Prevost told reporters that his brother used to play priest, using an ironing board as an altar, and a neighbor predicted that Robert Prevost would be the first American pope when Prevost was in first grade. John Prevost also described his brother as a fan of the Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball team.
Prevost went to St. Augustine Seminary High School, a boarding school in Michigan, and then to Villanova University, which is run by the Augustinian Order in Radnor, Delaware County. While at Villanova, Prevost was a groundskeeper at St. Denis Church in Havertown, according to a May 12 story by David Bjorkgren in Delco Today. Following his Villanova graduation in 1977 with a degree in math, Prevost joined the Augustinian order, according to May 9 story by Erik Ortiz published by NBC News. He was ordained a priest in 1982, the NBC News story said.
In 1985, Prevost set off into missionary work in Peru, according to NBC News. In 2015, Pope Francis named Prevost Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, according to Vatican News. In 2023 Pope Francis promoted Prevost to the rank of archbishop. Also in 2023, Pope Francis elevated Prevost to the role of cardinal-deacon. In 2025, Pope Francis named Prevost a cardinal-bishop, according to a Vatican press release.
Following the death of Pope Francis, Prevost was not seen as a frontrunner for the position of successor, although NCR, an American Catholic online publication named him as a contender in an April 30 story.
