Local Catholics are pleased with the election of the new pope. They鈥檙e largely happy he鈥檚 from the United States and hope he will help the American church come together.
鈥淚鈥檓 very excited to have a pope from the United States. He sounds like he鈥檚 just perfect,鈥 said Margaret Fouts, a member of St. Ann Catholic Church in Santee.
Fouts hopes the pope helps keep Catholics together and encourages people to return to the church.
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 going to help the world,鈥 she said.
American Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected pope on Thursday. He鈥檚 taken the name Leo XIV.
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Sandy Rolland, also of St. Ann, was impressed.
鈥淚 wish him well. He loves the Virgin Mary and he said the Hail Mary so everybody could say it around the world,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t means a lot. It brought me to tears.鈥
She鈥檚 glad he鈥檚 an American, 鈥渂ecause this is history. There鈥檚 never been an American pope before.鈥
Rolland says a pope like Leo XIV is needed now.
鈥淚 just wish for peace in the whole world,鈥 she said.
Paul Dashnaw of St. Ann is also glad the cardinals selected someone from the U.S.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited. I鈥檓 ecstatic,鈥 he said.
鈥淚 just hope he鈥檚 very conservative,鈥 Dashnaw said. 鈥淚 want to keep everything the way it is.鈥
He doesn鈥檛 see the need for many changes in the church.
Jackie Skubal is also glad the new pope is an American and thinks it鈥檚 important that he also speaks Spanish. She鈥檚 a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Orangeburg.
Skubal is also glad Pope Leo XIV comes from the Order of St. Augustine because 鈥渋t means he follows in that way. That鈥檚 a good thing. It鈥檚 a good order.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy he鈥檚 selected. I just hope he guides the church in the right direction,鈥 she said.
Holy Trinity member Martin Roache said, 鈥淚 have a really good feeling about him.鈥
鈥淚 think we should be proud to have the first American pope,鈥 he said. And Roache鈥檚 wife reminded him the new pope is from Chicago, like her.
鈥淚 think we all need to be prayerful that he can make a difference in the world,鈥 Roache said. With ongoing war and uncertainty, 鈥淚鈥檓 hopeful and prayerful he will balance out the scales on the good side.鈥
Deni Quay of Holy Trinity said, 鈥淚鈥檓 glad we have a new pope.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 pleased and proud an American has become pope,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful we have a pope and very proud he鈥檚 an American.鈥
Holy Trinity member Warren Dent says it isn鈥檛 important to him that the pope is originally from America.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to me that he delivers 100 percent on what Jesus Christ wants for the church,鈥 Dent said.
鈥淚 pray he finds the best way to spread the Catholic Church鈥檚 beliefs and God鈥檚 word without playing pattycake with people who oppose the actual beliefs of the church,鈥 he said.
Contact the writer: gcrider@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5570.
