The Rev. EJ Ikaika Resinto, pastor of Sacred Heart Church and Maryknoll School, was on Kauai for a funeral Thursday when he heard the announcement that Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was elected as the first U.S. pope in the history of the papacy.
“I think that’s an American!” he exclaimed upon hearing Prevost’s name.
Moments later he received a text message from another priest, which read, “OMG, American.”
White smoke had poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Rome an hour earlier, at 6:09 a.m. Hawaii time, signifying the conclave of 133 cardinal electors had chosen a leader to serve the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Reflecting on the news, Resinto said, “It’s a great day to be a Catholic and a proud American.”
Prevost was an unexpected choice, he said, albeit an exciting one, as his name had not surfaced in pre-conclave speculation on the next pope. Many Catholics figured there would never be an American pope, according to Resinto.
“People tend to look at America as maybe a little too progressive, and so we get that stigma on us. But I get the feeling that Pope Leo is going to be moderate, not one way or the other, which is what the church needs,” he said, adding the selection was clearly “the work of the Holy Spirit.”
As he was getting lunch on his home island Thursday while wearing his clerical collar, Resinto said people came up to him and said, “I’m not a Catholic, but what a great day for all of us that we have a pope.”
“There’s a vibe in the air right now,” he said. “There’s a joy that is being felt and, in a sense, a hope.”
Bishop Larry Silva of the Diocese of Honolulu said in a statement there is “special pride” in having a pope who was born and raised in the U.S. Silva noted Prevost’s background as a former bishop in Latin America and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a pope-appointed position that vets bishop candidates around the world.
Silva also cited his service as a superior general of the Augustinian Order based in Rome, which, along with his other roles, has given Prevost “a great deal of international experience.”
“As Bishop of Rome, he is already familiar with his new diocese and its culture; and as a bishop with international experience, he seems ideal as the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church throughout the world,” Silva said. “Serving as Pope is a great honor, but also a tremendous responsibility. Our prayers for him are very important in keeping him in good health and focused on what the Holy Spirit wants him to accomplish as the Successor of the Apostle Peter.”
Silva will host a Mass for Pope Leo XIV at 6 p.m. Monday at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Honolulu.
Kamalani Ontai, a parishioner at St. John Vianney parish in Kailua, said that after reading about his prior experience, she “wasn’t surprised” that Prevost was chosen.
“I got texts from friends of mine in other countries (saying), ‘Congratulations, the pope is American,’ but for these prior popes I’ve never really thought about their home countries,” Ontai said. “I really just look to them as a universal leader of the Catholic Church. I haven’t met a priest who hasn’t shared the same qualities in my day-to-day work in our diocese.”
Resinto said Prevost’s choice of his papal name is also significant, as Leo XIII, who served as pope from 1878 to 1903, believed in the “dignity of the human person but also the dignity of working for the kingdom of God.”
Pope Leo XIII, Resinto said, was known for his papal letters that addressed social issues of the time, particularly the rights and conditions of workers during a period of industrialization, which laid the foundation for modern Catholic social teachings.
It’s something Pope Francis lived, Resinto said, and what “I believe, and hope, Pope Leo will continue.”
“His opening speech, from what I understood, is calling us back to our baptismal call to be missionaries, and the reminder that the church is the missionary church sent forth to make the Gospel known,” Resinto said. “He’s calling us to continue Francis’ legacy but to be even more active in it, to reach out into the peripheries and reaching out to those who might not understand.”
Ontai said she will pray for the new pope, adding she has faith in what he can accomplish during his tenure.
“I’m hoping if it matters to people that he’s American, that they re-engage their faith. If this is something they can be proud of, that’s good,” she said. “If it helps grow our Christian community in our country, in our community, that can only be a good thing.”
