Americans in St. Peter’s Square were stunned by choice of new pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Americans in St. Peter’s Square were stunned and joyous when they learned that an American cardinal, Robert Prevost, was elected pope Thursday and had taken the name Leo XIV.

“Who in our lifetime would have thought that we would see a North American Holy Father?” said Father Thomas Montanaro, an American priest with the Legionaries of Christ.

Montanaro was among the many tens of thousands of people who filled St. Peter’s Square for the historic moment.

Cheers of “viva il papa” and applause rippled across the crowd to celebrate the new pope.

Father Darius Lawrence, a priest from California, said the announcement caught him completely off guard.

“As an American, it’s a huge surprise,” he said. “I would have never expected an American to be named as pope. He wasn’t on any of the lists I’d seen — and I’d been looking into it a little bit.”

The flags of many nations waved. But tellingly there very few American flags.

The Americans had not come prepared.

They also did not hear Leo speak to them in their native tongue. He used Italian to greet the crowds before turning to Spanish, using a language he used during years of missionary work in Peru, where he also obtained citizenship.

Past popes have shaped the larger world beyond the Catholic Church, and it was not lost on some that Leo might too.

”I’m just hoping that the new pope can help steer us in a good direction and in terms of politics, you know, right now it’s very complicated,” said Andrea Gallardo, a Texan. “I’m just hoping that he’s able to rekindle a good relationship with our president and all the government officials so that we can start going into a good route, I would say.”

In Washington, President Donald Trump said it was an honor for an American to be chosen.

“What greater honor can there be?” Trump said. “We’re a little bit surprised and we’re happy.”

Once white smoke started billowing out from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, “an extraordinary influx of over 150,000 people” came from elsewhere in Rome to fill the square, police said in a statement.

“I was at home, but as soon as the smoke went up, I put on my clothes and I came to the Vatican,” said Thomas Nicolini, 22, a Peruvian from Lima, who is studying economics in Rome.

“I’m really happy about this. I know he’s American, but he was in Peru for a long time, 20 years. He worked in the region of Chiclayo. That’s a beautiful area, but one of the regions that needs lots of hope. So now I’m expecting that the new pope helps as many people as possible, and tries to reignite, let’s say, the faith young people have lost.”