Recently, Leo XIV was elected as the first American Pope. Born Robert Prevost in the Southside of Chicago, Midwestern social media accounts are a-tizzy.
Pope Leo spent part of his high school years at St. Augustine Seminary High School in West Michigan. It was in Laketown, and part of the Dioceses of Kalamazoo. Niraj Warikoo, a religion reporter for the Detroit Free Press, discussed Pope Leo’s connections to our state.
“He was there for four years, graduated in 1973. He had a strong connection to it,” Warikoo said.
The school closed in the 1970s. But according to Warikoo, Prevost participated in the school's reunion and was photographed in the Holland Sentinel in 2013.
The appointment of the first American pope came as a surprise to many. However, according to Warikoo's reporting, Michigan Catholics are responding positively to Pope Leo's appointment. Many appreciate that Pope Leo was an active missionary in Peru and genuinely connected with the people.
On the other hand, Warikoo noted that some conservatives are feeling anxious, as they hope he will reverse the decision to end what is known as the Traditional Latin Mass in Detroit. The Traditional Latin Mass is favored by some conservative or traditional Catholics. However, the Archbishop of Detroit recently announced that he plans to completely discontinue it in all parish churches by July.
“That'll be the first big test for him to see what decision he makes on that,” Warikoo said. “Will he reverse that decision in Detroit and other places? That may either alienate people or draw more people in.”
Warikoo noted that the demographic makeup of the area where the Pope grew up near Chicago was similar to that of Detroit.
“We used to be a heavily Catholic area, but then the demographics changed and it became more of a black community as whites left the suburb to other suburbs,” Warikoo said.
This pattern could be observed in parts of Metro Detroit as well. Warikoo stated that as the population declined, the Catholic church still wanted to have a place where they could help places like Chicago or Detroit.
However, due to the decline in population, it became financially difficult to provide assistance.
“A lot of these challenges that he dealt with in Chicago or that parish dealt with, I think other parishes will be dealing with in coming decades,” Warikoo said.
After being appointed the new pope, Warikoo researched Pope Leo’s position on how he will be governing the Vatican.
Pope Leo has been known to have been outspoken on issues relating to immigration, but he is also seen to be more conservative when it comes to social issues.
“He's been quite friendly with the media and with the public since he has been Pope, but whether he'll be on the level of Pope Francis is unclear,” Warikoo said.
Many people are eagerly awaiting Pope Leo's plans for the Catholic Church, and many are pleased to see that he maintains a significant presence in the United States. Warikoo pointed out that a video is circulating showing Pope Leo at the White Sox World Series, where he can be seen in the stands. It is noted that Pope Leo has a strong connection to Chicago and America.
“I think that's going to endear him to a lot of Catholics in the north and a lot of the Catholic communities,” Warikoo said. “ I think he'll have a strong connection to, especially the Midwest area and the Northern part especially.”
Background reading
Detroit Catholics praise first American pope, who studied in Michigan
