The Intelligencer
WHEELING — The election of Cardinal Robert Prevost to become Pope Leo XIV was met with joy and congratulations from Catholic leaders around the Ohio Valley.
Prevost became the first American-born cardinal to be elected pope in the history of the Catholic Church. Born in Chicago, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.
The Most Rev. Mark Brennan, Bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, said the election of Pope Leo XIV should be a unifying moment for the church and Catholics across the globe.
“Habemus Papam! We thank God, who through the power of the Holy Spirit has guided the Cardinal electors to select Robert Cardinal Francis Prevost to be the Vicar for Christ on earth,” Brennan said in a statement. “As Pope Leo XIV prepares to begin his role as Pontiff, let us unite in prayer for him and his ministry.
“As Catholics in America, let us pray especially for Leo XIV, that the Holy Spirit continue to guide him as he begins his service to the Catholic Church throughout the world,” he added.
