Reverend William Byrne, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said what is unique about new Pope, Leo XIV, is that unlike many of his predecessors — as a pastor of a poor parish in Peru — he was a priest for those in the margins.
"Especially for Latin America, this place of the emerging and burgeoning church, which we see reflected in the vibrancy of our Latino communities here in western Massachusetts," he said.
The new Pope, Robert Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV, is the first U.S. born Pope, and was selected Thursday.
Reverend Byrne said very few people expected an American to be chosen.
"The bookmakers had probably long odds on an American pope but the holy spirit outsmarts a lot of bookmakers," he said.
He said he met Pope Leo XIV a few years ago, during an orientation for new bishops.
Sister Cecilia Morales Tapia said when she heard that the new pope was from the U.S., she was very excited.
"When they said he was living in Peru, I was more excited, because both cultures are very strong here in America and I expect that he will be a very good pope," she said.
Morales-Tapia is originally from a congregation founded in Mexico. She now works with the Latino ministry in the Springfield Diocese.
She said it's important to her, the new pope continues the work of Pope Francis, who died last month.
Jessica Keene is a faculty member in the history department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She said she was surprised by an American ascending to the papacy.
"Especially considering the current political and religious climate within the church, I thought that an American pope or a North American pope would be particularly unlikely," she said.
And Elms College religious studies professor Michael McGravey called Pope Leo XIV's election an "unprecedented" moment in the church's history. He said it's difficult to view the new pope solely as an American.
"He's done a tremendous amount of missionary, especially in Peru, he has Peruvian citizenship, and he served in the diplomatic court of the church. So, he's very well versed in the church as the servant around the world," he said.
Both Keene and McGravey say they expect Pope Leo XIV to continue some of the work which the late Pope Francis had engaged in.
