Catholic leadership across the United States responded with joy and thanksgiving following the historic election of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope. Cardinal Prevost, who chose the papal name Leo XIV, became the first American to ascend to the papacy in the Church’s 2,000-year history.

“In communion with Catholics around the world, the bishops of the United States offer prayers of thanksgiving for the election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement. “In my lifetime, the Church has been blessed with a series of popes each uniquely prepared for his particular moment in history yet sharing a common mission to proclaim the ageless truth of the Gospel.”

“I rejoice in the international experience of the new Bishop of Rome who has been a student and superior in Rome, a bishop in Peru, and charged with the Dicastery for Bishops,” Archbishop Broglio said.

“Certainly, we rejoice that a son of this nation has been chosen by the cardinals, but we recognize that he now belongs to all Catholics and to all people of good will,” he said.

Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, echoed these sentiments in his own statement, noting the historic significance for American Catholics while emphasizing the global importance of the election.

“As the first American pope, Pope Leo’s election by the College of Cardinals is of course a moment of deep national pride for U.S. Catholics,” Poust said. “More importantly, Pope Leo brings a continuity with the ministry of Pope Francis, while at the same time gifting the Church with his own unique perspective as a son of Chicago, an Augustinian priest and provincial of that order, a missionary and bishop in Peru, and a high-ranking Vatican official as prefect for the Dicastery of Bishops.”

Poust also noted the significance of the papal name choice.

“With his choice of the name Leo, he clearly signals a deep commitment to Catholic social teaching and support for working men and women,” he said.

Both statements referenced Pope Leo XIV’s initial address from the balcony in St. Peter’s Square. Poust noted that the new pontiff’s first words were “Peace be with you,” which Pope Leo connected to Christ’s first words to his Apostles after His resurrection.

Archbishop Broglio observed that the Holy Father’s early words “advocating peace, unity, and missionary activity already indicate a path forward.”

“Trusting in the Holy Spirit, we also pray that the Holy Father, as the successor of St. Peter, will enjoy serenity in his ministry and be a watchful and wise shepherd who will confirm us in our faith and fill the world with the hope inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Archbishop Broglio said in his statement’s conclusion.

“He spoke of the need for peace in our world, and we pray that his ministry serves as an instrument of that peace,” Poust said. “As Americans, we also pray that his election serves as a much-needed moment of evangelization and renewal for the Church in our cherished homeland.”