DENVER — The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception will host a special mass for the new pope on Thursday afternoon, the Archdiocese of Denver said.
It will take place at 12:10 p.m.
When it was announced that the conclave of cardinals had selected Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church, the cathedral bells began ringing in downtown Denver.
Bunting was also placed over the main doors at the Archdiocese of Denver in celebration of the new pope.
Prevost was a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and led the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops. He is the first American elected as pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.
The 267th Pope of the Catholic Church took the name Pope Leo XIV.
Gov . Jared Polis was at a news conference when Pope Leo XIV was announced. He released the following statement:
"This is a joyous occasion for Catholics across the world. I congratulate the Catholic community on the historic selection of the first American Pope, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will lead the church as Pope Leo XIV. I look forward to continued strong collaboration between Colorado and the Catholic Church on helping vulnerable people in times of need. It is my hope that the new Pope follows the path of the late Pope Francis of love and kindness for all who walk the earth."
Prevost was a leading candidate except for his nationality. There was long a taboo against a U.S. pope, given the geopolitical power already wielded by the United States in the secular sphere. But Prevost, a Chicago native, was seemingly eligible also because he’s a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.
Francis clearly had his eye on Prevost and in many ways saw him as his heir apparent. He brought Prevost to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. As a result, Prevost had a prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals have.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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