Shepparton’s St Brendan’s Parish priests Father Joe Taylor and Father Adi Indra were so excited about the appointment of a new pope, they were up at 3am watching it on TV on Friday, May 9.
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Fr Taylor said it was an exciting and surprising time, but “a bit like the Melbourne Cup, everyone thinks they can pick it, but no-one does”.
American-born Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church’s new leader, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
Pope Leo is the first native English-speaking pontiff and the first from the United States.
French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti announced the news with the Latin words “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) to a crowd of 10s of thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square.
Pope Leo appeared on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica about 70 minutes after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signifying the 133 cardinal electors had chosen a new leader for the church.
“Peace be with you all,” the new pope told the cheering crowd, speaking in fluent Italian.
He also spoke in Spanish during his brief address, but did not say anything in English.
“His words when he was appointed, when he came out and spoke were about peace, so hopefully he’ll be an agent of peace and work for peace in our world,” Fr Taylor said.
Aged 69 and originally from Chicago, Prevost has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru, only becoming a cardinal in 2023.
A member of the Augustinian religious order, Leo has given few media interviews and rarely speaks in public.
Fr Taylor said it was a “fascinating connection” with the Sandhurst Diocese, given its first two bishops, Bishop Crane and Bishop Reville, were both Augustinian bishops, with the Echuca, Rochester and Kyabram parishes all Augustinian.
Pope Leo is the 267th Catholic pontiff after the death of Pope Francis last month, who was the first Latin American pope and had led the church for 12 years and widely sought to open the staid institution up to the modern world.
Leo thanked Francis in his speech and repeated his predecessor’s call for a church that is engaged with the modern world and “is always looking for peace, charity and being close to people, especially those who are suffering”.
Ahead of the conclave, some cardinals called for continuity with Francis’ vision of greater openness and reform, while others said they wanted to return to an embrace of old traditions.
Unlike Francis, who spurned much of the trappings of the papacy, Prevost wore a traditional red papal garment over his white cassock.
The last pope to take the name Leo led the church from 1878-1903 and was known for his devoted focus to social justice issues, and is often credited with laying the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.
Prevost has attracted interest from his peers because of his quiet style and support for Francis, especially his commitment to social justice issues.
Prevost served as a bishop in Chiclayo, in north-western Peru, from 2015 to 2023.
Francis brought him to Rome that year to head the Vatican office in charge of choosing which priests should serve as Catholic bishops across the globe, meaning he has had a hand in selecting many of the world’s bishops.
Prevost said during a 2023 Vatican press conference: “Our work is to enlarge the tent and to let everyone know they are welcome inside the church.”
Fr Taylor said the cardinal electors wanted a unifying force to lead the church.
“I think a lot of them saw him as being American, he’ll have a unifying effect there,” he said.
“The American church in many ways has been quite divided and I think having someone like him who’s from there, and the person he is, will bring about a lot of unity in the American church, not that that’s the centre of the world, but it will be good that certainly a large group that have been divided will hopefully get their act together.”
Australian Catholic supremos have welcomed Pope Leo, saying he will emphasise simplicity and community.
Melbourne Archbishop Peter Andrew Comensoli, who has met Pope Leo several times in person, described him as a thoughtful listener, strongly focused on peace and bridge-building.
He said it was wonderful to have a new pope with “wide experience and great depth of faith”.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher said Pope Leo’s “missionary heart” was a positive for the church.
“Like the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV will bring to the church the experience of being part of a religious order with an emphasis on simplicity and community,” he said.
“It was very moving that the Holy Father opened his first address to a watching world with a greeting of peace, and repeated the central truth of the gospel, that God loves all of us ‘without any limits or conditions’.”
Archbishop Fisher and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Leo to the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028.
Mr Albanese said the appointment brought joy and hope to Catholics everywhere.
“May the papacy of Pope Leo advance the cause of peace and social justice for all humanity,” he said.
Catholic Social Services Australia executive director Jerry Nockles said Pope Leo’s appointment came at a critical time when the world yearned for compassionate leadership grounded in gospel values of justice, dignity and solidarity with the vulnerable.
“At a time when Australia and indeed the world faces unprecedented social challenges — from growing inequality to escalating violence and social division — Pope Leo’s election offers a beacon of hope and a powerful reminder that the church stands firmly for peace and with those on the margins,” Dr Nockles said.
Cardinal Mykola Bychok was the sole Australian representative at the conclave in Rome.
Archbishop Costelloe and Sale Bishop Greg Bennet have indicated they will travel to Rome for the installation, representing the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the church in Australia.