Welcome, Pope Leo

Posted on May 8, 2025

Catholic Campus Ministry looked on with eagerness as the white smoke appeared from the Sistine chapel. Students and staff all around campus then awaited the announcement of the successor of St. Peter. How surprised and excited many of us were when an American, Robert Francis Prevost, was announced the new pope!

After a two-day papal enclave, Pope Leo XIV was elected by the college of cardinals to be the next shepherd of the Catholic Church. Father Peter Tremblay was interviewed by several local news stations and shared, "An American pope will know us well, he'll know our concerns, he'll know our faith, he'll know our life, and he'll certainly know our culture, our society, and our politics."

Father Peter is also excited how students in CCM may respond to him moving forward. "I do believe there are a number of people amongst our young students - think about generation Z, who are reconsidering faith for a lot of different reasons, and many are looking at Catholicism for a lot of wonderful reasons," Father Peter said. "And I suspect here in the United States, the election of Pope Leo might help to grow those numbers."

Please join our whole community in praying for Pope Leo!