CULLMAN, Ala. – Just before lunchtime (local) on Thursday, May 8, 2025, the Vatican announced the election of a new Pope over the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is an Augustinian friar from Chicago, the first Pope from the United States.
Serving for many years as a Bishop in Peru, Prevost most recently served as head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops and Pontifical Commission for Latin America. With a mix of conservative and progressive views, Pope Leo is considered by many Vatican observers to be a “happy medium” between the two previous heads of the Church, Popes Benedict XVI and Francis.
Fr. Linus Klucsarits, prior of St. Bernard Abbey and incoming pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Cullman, told The Tribune, “Abbot Marcus Voss and all the monks of Saint Bernard Abbey join the entire church with great joy to celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV. Let us all join together and pray for our new Holy Father.”
The office of the Diocese of Birmingham posted to social media, “Bishop Raica invites all in the diocese to join in prayer for Pope Leo XIV, asking God to grant him wisdom, strength, and discernment as he embarks on his sacred mission.”
