New Yorkers and tourists flocked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, the first American pope.
Prevost, 69, who took the name Pope Leo XIV, addressed a cheering crowd outside St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after white smoke billowed from a chimney over the Sistine Chapel, signaling to the world that a new pope had been selected.
“Really promising, I think, that we have an American pope — America-first pope,” said Jennifer Kelly, who was among throngs of the faithful and the curious who descended upon the cathedral in Midtown when the church bells rang.
Kelly, who grew up Southern Baptist and became Catholic as an adult, ran over with her dog, joined by a growing crowd. Kelly said Prevost’s selection made her feel “proud to be an American and proud to be Catholic.”
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“People talk so much about the decline of Catholicism or the decline of Christianity,” she said. “To see the excitement around this is, I think, exciting.”
Abby Maddaluna and Maggie Walsh work around the corner from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Maddaluna said they “got up and ran” when they heard the announcement.
“It’s a monumental moment,” Walsh said.
Catherine Magyera was visiting from the Catskills when she heard there was a new pope and rushed to the church. She said she was touched by the pope’s repeated mentions of unity in his first speech.
Stefan Wolansky, who was also visiting from the Catskills, compared the experience to the solar eclipse.
“This only happens so many times,” he said. “This is such a moment for Catholics and really people around the world to get together and chart a beautiful new future together.”
The fact that the pope is American, he added with a laugh, is “just cool.”
Irish couple Marie Brennan and Wesley Walsh were passing through New York on their way back from a cruise and stopped at the cathedral to light a candle for Pope Leo XIV. Walsh said it was “refreshing” to have a pope from this side of the Atlantic.
“The future’s looking good, bright,” he said.
Brennan said she didn’t expect the new pope to be an American. But she said she was “delighted” for American Catholics.
“Hopefully he’ll do good work and he’ll bring the whole world back together again,” she said. “God bless him.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul congratulated Pope Leo XIV on social media.
“The prayers of millions of Catholics around the globe are with you to guide the church forward and be a strong champion for compassion and dignity,” she said.
Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that by choosing an American pope, “the Vatican has uplifted the voices of Catholics across the five boroughs and our entire country.”
“I know that many, including myself, will look to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for leadership and inspiration,” Adams said. “I know that I join people of faith from all around the world today in praying for the Pope.”
New Yorkers can look to the heavens for another tribute to the first American pope: lights on the Empire State Building will shine in gold and white, Empire State Realty Trust announced.
