The election of Pope Leo XIV May 8 was a surprise, but a joyful one, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre told local journalists a few hours after Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was introduced as the new Holy Father.
“I never thought I would live to see the day that an American would be elected pope,” he said at the press conference held at the Archdiocese of Louisville Pastoral Center. “It’s really a very, very exciting day for the church, a day of great, great joy.”
Archbishop Fabre said he doesn’t know the new pope personally, but gladly pledges his loyalty, prayers and support.
Calling the selection of the church’s first American pontiff historic, Archbishop Fabre said, “Our faith here in this country, which a relatively young country, a relatively young faith, has now produced a gift for all Catholics in the world, Pope Leo XIV.”
Pope Leo XIV, a native of Chicago who served many years in Peru as a member of the Augustinian order, was elected in the afternoon of the conclave’s first full day.
Archbishop Fabre said the relative quickness of the vote was an “indication of the union and unity amongst the cardinals.”
“Before they enter into conclave, they do have discussions about what are the needs of the church and who do we see amongst us who possesses those gifts? And so I do believe that Leo XIV’s gifts were obviously known,” to the cardinal electors, he said.
Archbishop Fabre also said Pope Leo XIV will likely build on the ministry of Pope Francis, noting “his first words to the world were, ‘Peace be with you,’ ” the first words Jesus spoke after the resurrection.
He noted that the pontiff said in his first address to the world, “We must strive to be a missionary church, and that was one of the important things for Pope Francis as well. One that builds bridges, and that’s a powerful statement; one that embraces dialogue, another powerful statement, and one that welcomes all with open arms. A pope’s first statement to the world indicates in a powerful way what he hopes to be about and what he hopes to involve himself in.
“And then he went on to say, ‘Let our presence be one of charity and communion rooted in love.’ I can see reflected in all of those things … the important things for Pope Francis.”
Asked what the pope means to people around the world, beyond the Christian community, Archbishop Fabre said, “I think that all people of good will, regardless of if they are Christian or one of the other world’s faith traditions, I do think we can see in the pope someone who lifts up for us a call to do the right thing and to strive after the common good and to be the people God has created us to be.”
A member of the press also asked the archbishop about his hopes for the new pope.
Archbishop Fabre said that he suspects the new pope shares his introversion and said he prays for him during this transition. “I’m sure right now he is all over the place.”
In addition, he said, “I hope he is able to continue to have the pastoral heart of Pope Francis; I hope he has the intellectual, philosophical ability of Pope John Paul II, and I hope he has the theological insight of Pope Benedict. … As the successor of St. Peter, I think he will bring all those things to his ministry.
“I pray that he, as I know he will, will always call us to hope,” the archbishop added. “And that hope is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ, who is always with us. I pray that he will always remind us that we must be people of hope, rooting ourselves in Jesus Christ and trying to be the people that Christ calls us to be.”
