American cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church described the historic papal conclave that concluded this week as comparatively simple, with no arm-twisting or overt politicking.
When their work was carried out — and because the outdoors world waited to be taught the brand new pope’s id — the cardinals contained in the Sistine Chapel “went wild,” one recalled on Friday, when the person they’d elected privately informed them that he would take the identify Leo.
That identify, they mentioned, might be a sign of the pope’s plans.
“Leo was the primary trendy pope, who spoke in protection of employees’ rights and what employees wanted to have a simply wage, not solely to assist their household and eke out a residing, but in addition to construct a patrimony they may cross on to their youngsters,” mentioned Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, referring Pope Leo XIII.
That Pope Leo wrote a landmark papal doc referred to as Rerum Novarum in 1891, addressing the wants and dignity of the working class, which helped spark a social justice motion amid the Industrial Revolution.
“It wasn’t the protection of the fitting to property for folks to build up as a lot as they need, however for poor individuals who didn’t have property as a patrimony to cross on,” Cardinal Cupich mentioned.
The problems of employees rights, immigration and bridges throughout divides look like taking form as the problems that might outline the legacy of Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.
“We’re going to hear extra about this,” Cardinal Cupich mentioned. “We would have a Rerum Novarum 2.0.”
After they left Casa Santa Marta, the guesthouse on the Vatican the place they’d been sequestered, six cardinals from america filed out onto the stage on the Pontifical North American School on Friday afternoon and took their seats on purple velvet chairs to talk publicly collectively for the primary time for the reason that election of the primary American pontiff. A seventh cardinal joined, Christophe Pierre, the ambassador of the Holy See to america.
It was a particularly uncommon event, so many high American church leaders talking collectively on the identical stage, usually in obvious settlement, an indication of the utter singularity of this second within the historical past of the American Catholic Church.
Regardless that Pope Leo XIV is the primary born in america, the cardinals introduced him as “a citizen of the complete world,” as Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop emeritus of Galveston-Houston, mentioned.
Contained in the conclave, the truth that he was from america was “virtually negligible” and “virtually surprisingly” so, mentioned Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York agreed. “I don’t suppose the truth that Cardinal Prevost was from america had a lot weight,” he mentioned.
Requested if the cardinals noticed the election of an American pope as an effort to ascertain a counterweight to President Trump, he demurred. “Would he wish to construct bridges to Donald Trump? I suppose,” he mentioned. “However he would wish to construct bridges with the leaders of any nation.”
Requested in the event that they needed President Trump to return to Rome for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, the American cardinals paused briefly. “Why not?” mentioned Cardinal Pierre, the ambassador, leaping into the silence.
Cardinal DiNardo expanded on the attainable significance of the identify Leo.
“I wish to take him again to Leo the Nice, as a result of I reside within the fifth century,” Cardinal DiNardo mentioned. “Leo the Nice was a pope on the time when the church was really a multitude in coping with what was taking place proper across the metropolis gates of Rome.”
Leo the Nice helped the save town, and on the identical time “he preached Christ crucified,” he mentioned, noting that each Leos might talk about social doctrine and preach the gospel.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, N.J., recalled casting his poll — carrying it to the entrance of the Sistine Chapel, holding it excessive and solemnly submitting it earlier than God as Michelangelo’s “Final Judgment” stared down.
He had identified Cardinal Prevost for about 30 years, from again residence in america and of their international ministries. Now they had been behind the closed doorways of one of many world’s most secret rooms, with 131 fellow cardinals, together with eight from their residence nation.
He appeared for his pal across the tables.
“I took a take a look at Bob,” Cardinal Tobin mentioned, “and he had his head in his arms.”
“I used to be praying for him, as a result of I couldn’t think about what occurs to a human being if you face one thing like that,” he mentioned.
When 89 votes had been reached, the room burst into applause. “I simply thanked him yesterday, when it was my flip, for saying sure to such an superior accountability,” Cardinal Tobin mentioned.
After leaving the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals wound their approach via the labyrinth of Vatican halls, and Pope Leo XIV was on the balcony. Cardinal Cupich appeared out from the balcony to his left, feeling the push of cheers coming from the throngs that stretched all the best way to the Tiber.
“We would get some pizzas shipped over for him,” he mentioned.
Quickly, all of the cardinals had been again in Casa Santa Marta for a celebratory meal. Then they toasted the brand new pope, who went from desk to desk.
“He actually knew the right way to work the room,” Cardinal Cupich mentioned.
Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington and the primary African American cardinal, mentioned that Cardinal Prevost had engaged “fairly successfully” within the smaller group discussions that cardinals had earlier than they voted. “It wasn’t that he obtained up and made this overwhelmingly convincing speech that simply wowed the physique,” he mentioned.
Seminarians listening to the information convention on Friday on the Pontifical North American School talked about how final Thanksgiving, Cardinal Prevost got here up the hill from the Vatican to have a good time with them.
Deacon Gerard Gayou, 31, a scholar from Washington who shall be ordained subsequent month, pulled up a photograph of the second, discovering it exhausting to course of that he had helped lead Mass with the brand new Pope.
“The large factor is that we’ve got do-it-yourself pumpkin pie, which is tough to seek out in Italy,” he mentioned. They despatched the pope residence with additional.
