A rush of emotion overcame Patricia Veliz Macal, of East L.A., when she heard the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church greet the faithful in Spanish and Italian during his first address. “Peace be with all of you!” were the new pope’s first words in Italian.
Robert Prevost, 69, has been elected as the new pope and will be known as Leo XIV.
From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Prevost – the first American pontiff – gave a special hello in Spanish to the people of Chiclayo in Peru, where he spent a large part of his career as a missionary.
President Donald Trump called the election of the first U.S. pope “such an honor,” but to Veliz Macal, it was telling that the new pontiff chose to acknowledge Peru and not the U.S., where he was born.
“He wanted to salute Peru, and the small town [of Chiclayo]. It speaks volumes about his humility,” said Veliz Macal, who worships at Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights.
“He spoke Spanish and he spoke it well,” she added. “He’s a pope who will have the opportunity to communicate with many people, to unite. He also has a good understanding of workers and migrants.”
Prevost was born in Chicago in 1955, according to Vatican News. His father is of French and Italian descent, while his mother is of Spanish descent. The new pope spent roughly two decades of service in Peru before being elected head of the Augustinians, his religious order, for two consecutive terms. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis.
Prevost’s choice of name is an apparent nod to Pope Leo XIII – who as the Christian news organization Sojourners noted – is known for his groundbreaking document ‘Rerum Novarum,’ “which addressed workers’ rights, condemned Americanism, and championed social justice.”
At a news conference Thursday, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez spoke of Prevost’s missionary work and said he has an “understanding about the reality of the church in all of America.”
“He knows Latin America, which is very important to all of us in Los Angeles,” Gómez said.
To Gómez, the new pope understands the reality of the United States and Latin America, and “has the opportunity to help us all in this country understand that immigrants are a blessing for this country.”
Father Brendan Busse, who pastors Dolores Mission Church, described the election of Prevost as “a spirit-driven choice for the church and for the world right now.”
The fact that he became a bishop, not in the U.S., but in Peru, “says something about how we might think more broadly about what America is,” Busse said. “That we are a nation of immigrants and that our faith is also calling us beyond our nationality to other places. He’s a missionary and chose to live and serve in another place.”
Busse recalled watching a clip of Prevost in which he referred to Pope Francis’ courage in shaking things up, “rocking the boat a little bit.”
To Busse, it appears the new pope is open to that kind of dialogue. “He seems very clear about his desire to welcome all people. I think this is a good place to start.”
Veliz Macal hopes so.
Veliz Macal embraced Pope Francis for his efforts to open doors for “the youth, people of different sexual orientations, women, and those of us who divorced and remarried.”
“It gives me hope that he was chosen by Francis,” said Veliz Macal, who cares deeply about LGBTQ rights issues. “I think he’s a pope who will open the doors to unity, no matter who you are or where you come from.”
“The motto of Saint Augustine is unity and peace,” she said of the pope’s religious order.
