PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul opened its doors Friday to celebrate a milestone once thought unlikely: an American becoming pope.
Monsignor Anthony Mancini from the Diocese of Providence said he was shocked to learn that Pope Leo XIV is from the United States, calling it a great honor for the country and the Catholic Church.
“Then it was all over the news that he was from Chicago. You can’t get more American than that. Goodness,” Mancini told 12 News. “But this was a great, great, wonderful surprise.”
RELATED: Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Mass as pontiff a day after election
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, became the first U.S.-born pontiff on Thursday after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling his historic election. Hailing from Chicago and having attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania connects him to the American people and cultivates a sense of relatability…