SIOUX CITY — Following the selection of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City has issued a statement.Â
"I am pleased to learn of the selection of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, who is a holy man who will lead us with strong faith and humility," recently-ordained Bishop John Keehner wrote in the statement.Â
"We realize this was a monumental task for the cardinals to select the next Holy Father to lead the Church and we trust that they did so prayerfully with the guidance of the Holy Spirit," he wrote. "I ask the faithful of the Diocese of Sioux City to join me in praying for our new pope as he begins his role as Vicar of Christ, sharing the Gospel message."
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The Archdiocese of Omaha, which includes Northeast Nebraska, also issued a statement on the election of Prevost, who becomes the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.Â
"As we begin to pray for Pope Leo at each Mass that is offered, I encourage the faithful and all people of good will to lift him up in your prayers,"Â Archbishop Michael McGovern said in a statement. "As a native of Chicago, I am moved by the fact our new Holy Father has Chicago roots. His pastoral work in Peru and his leadership of the Augustinian Order based in Rome have shaped his view of the world and the Church.
"I look forward to strengthening the bonds of the Church in Omaha with the Universal Church as Pope Leo takes up the Petrine ministry."
The Rev. Monsignor Većeslav Tumir reads the mandate from the Apostolic See appointing The Rev. John Keehner as bishop during a Mass held Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany to ordain Keehner as the eighth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City.
