As white smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel chimney in Vatican City, Susan Sutton, English and Journalism teacher at Archbishop Riordan High School, knew the lesson she was teaching was no longer important. Sutton’s morning at Archbishop Riordan, a Catholic school in San Francisco, had started off like any other school day, but when she heard the announcement of a new pope, she quickly turned on the TV in her classroom. Regular classroom activities slowed to a halt and students hushed as they anxiously waited for the announcement of the new pope.
Cardinal Robert Prevost was selected to be the pope by the College of Cardinals and chose the name Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, May 8. Born in Chicago, Leo’s election to pope marked the first American pope the church has seen in the Catholic Church’s history, which stretches nearly two millennia. Leo was chosen 18 days after the death of Pope Francis, who previously served as the pope for 12 years.
Sutton, who grew up Catholic, remembers feeling excited and hopeful when news of Pope Francis’ selection was announced.
“I was teaching at a public school at the time, and the students there asked me to turn on the TV,” Sutton said. “It was an amazing experience as well, because he was the first Latin American pope. Right from the get-go, I remember thinking, ‘Here is a man who truly understands what he’s supposed to do, which is not just to represent the people, but to lead them, and to not just show compassion, but to exemplify it.’”
Pope Francis played an integral part in Archbishop Mitty junior Megan Kellogg’s religious journey. Even though she grew up in a Catholic home and attended Catholic schools for the majority of her life, Kellogg often felt alienated from the Catholic community since she disagreed with the political views that many of her community members had. However, Kellogg’s perception of her faith and Catholicism changed as she familiarized herself with Pope Francis and his teachings.
“Pope Francis really made me believe in the church again, which is a little crazy to say as a Catholic,” Megan said. “I didn’t like how Catholic people were treating minorities and queer people. It irked me to the point where I just didn’t want to be a part of Catholicism. But I learned more about Pope Francis through my school and religion classes. It really brought me back to the church. I realized, maybe the Catholic Church isn’t as bad as I thought. Pope Francis really did something special for the world that no other pope has done.”
Kellogg hopes that Leo will continue many of Pope Francis’ policies and enact similar motions, as Pope Francis was known for his emphasis on social justice. She expects that Pope Leo will also address new issues, such as AI, because of its increasing threat in replacing human workers. Kellogg predicts that he is planning on addressing this challenge during his papacy because Leo said his name choice was inspired by Pope Leo XIII, who advocated for workers during the Industrial Revolution. Junior Margaux Hideliza Mojica also hopes that Leo will continue Pope Francis’ policies, but notes that he seems more conservative.
“He’s more restrictive when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community,” Mojica said. “I feel like that would steer towards rejecting them entirely from the Catholic Church, which is totally different from Pope Francis, because he was more accepting of them. Personally, I’ve struggled with identifying my sexuality and gender, and it would be nice to have a little bit of representation in the Catholic Church. I wouldn’t want myself or anyone to have to pick between being Catholic or part of the LGBTQ+ community because I would like to accept both parts of my identity, rather than shedding one for the other.”
While Mojica hopes that Leo will show more support toward marginalized communities, she believes that as the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo represents love and care for all people. Mojica appreciates Leo’s stance on war, as he has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in the days following his ascension to pope. Sutton echoes this sentiment, and has found special appreciation in his nationality as a fellow American.
“To have a pope that was born here in the United States brings me hope because this time in our country is really divisive,” Sutton said. “Hopefully, Leo can help people unite and see our common ground. Even if we’re not all Catholic or even Christian, we’re all citizens of the world. His first words as pope, ‘Peace be with you,’ were emotional for me, because that’s what we all want. We want peace in Gaza. We want peace in Ukraine. We want peace in our own cities and neighborhoods. It gives me great hope for our future.”
