DES MOINES, Iowa — Shrieks of excitement rang almost as loud as the church bells in Rome as students at St. Pius in Urbandale heard the news that Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the new pontiff who now goes by Pope Leo XIV.
St. Pius Principal Alex Baranosky was just as surprised as his students to learn of the U.S.-born Pope.
“Des Moines is basically a suburb of Chicago, so I feel like he’s from our own backyard. Being a Chicago native super exciting, you know, something that I don’t think anybody here would have predicted,” Baranosky told Local 5…