Hope for the growth of Catholicism in America under Pope Leo XIV | Opinion

It wasn’t until one afternoon a few days after Cardinal Robert Provost was elected Pope Leo XIV that I really had time to sit down and process what had just transpired in the Catholic Church.

I was sitting in an Irish pub that sits on one of the busiest streets in Rome about a mile away from the Vatican. It had been my first afternoon when I didn’t have an evening’s work ahead of me. The only thing that was ahead of me was a newspaper that I had bought from a street vendor and a pint of Peroni.

As I sat at a small table by a window in the pub, I stared at the front page of the paper which featured a smiling Pope Leo with a headline that read “Un Americano a Roma” (an American in Rome). It finally hit me: I had just witnessed, for the first time in history, an American-born man be elected Pope.

During the Conclave, all Vatican credentialed media, myself included, were positioned together on top of one of the colonnades that harbor St. Peter’s Square. It gave us a beautiful vantage point allowing us to look down on the massive crowd of people in the Square while also being at eye level with the famed smoke chimney across the way.

Just to our left, about 20 yards away, was the balcony which the pope commonly uses to make an address. All squeezed together at the edge of the terrace, we witnessed the white smoke billow out of the chimney. Simultaneously, the crowd below roared so loud that the colonnade shook. The roars of the crowd only got more substantial as Cardinal Mamberti came out on the balcony and proclaimed “Habemus Papam” (we have a pope).

Being a cradle Catholic and a product of the Catholic school system, I knew what that meant. As for the other Latin that Mamberti proclaimed, I was completely lost and couldn’t even make out which name he stated.

I continued to photograph the happenings while urgently texting Bishop Joe (Joseph Brenner), his team and members of the media back home. I suddenly felt some pats on my shoulder and saw a hand pop up in front of my face. I was startle — I thought I had maybe ruined someone’s shot and was about to get smacked in the face over it.

To my surprise, the hand that was in my face was being offered to me as a high five. The Italian journalists I had been surrounded by all started uttering “Americano.” I was a little confused at first and thought, “maybe they just realized I’m American.” Then the guy who gave me the high five said in broken English, “the Pope is from your America, Provost.”

That was how I found out who the newly elected pope. To be honest, I was surprised by the enthusiasm in which the foreign media had for a pope from America.

We eagerly awaited as Pope Leo IX made his first appearance on that balcony and addressed the crowd. As I could sense his address drawing to a close, I was calculating how many Zoom calls I would need to jump on with journalists from the Central Valley. I was also calculating how much time it would take me to get back to a media room in which I could facilitate the calls.

Before leaving the terrace of the colonnade, I put my phone in my suit jacket, stood toward the back of the media crowd and, for just a moment, let it all sink in. I felt immense pride in my Catholic faith and to be an American.

Sitting at the pub, I contemplated what this newly elected pope meant for the Catholic Church. I am excited for Pope Leo’s papacy, and we are already seeing that many younger Americans are also excited — or, at the very least, showing interest in who he is.

Since his election, we have seen interviews where his brothers refer to him as “Rob,” we have established that he is a Chicago White Sox fan and TikTok has had some pretty entertaining Pope Leo content.

I had the honor to attend Pope Leo’s first press conference. I sat four rows back from the front and got to see his expressions as he spoke. The press conference in which he kicked off with a dad joke had a lot of highlights, including when he said that “communication creates culture.”

The profoundness of that statement is simple yet impactful. He’s acknowledging that his communication — what he says and how he says it — will affect not only how the Catholic Church manifests, but also how the spiritual intellect of the people will develop.

It is not breaking news that the Catholic Church in America has been pondering how the church will look in the future. It is a church that is working on garnering appreciation and trust from younger generations.

I have managed strategic communications for two different dioceses and two different bishops in a span of almost seven years. When it comes to bringing people into or closer to the faith, I have seen the church most successful when we can do two things: humanize the church’s teachings and the people who teach them, and meet people where they’re at.

We all know that it is easier to obtain guidance from someone we trust or relate to. This is not to say that we couldn’t trust or relate to previous popes, as they were all benevolent and trustworthy through their pastoral leadership.

However, regarding the Catholic Church in America, I anticipate Pope Leo having an advantage in quickly resonating with the people due to our shared nationality. I have already had people of different faiths — and even of no faith — reach out to me and initiate conversations about Pope Leo and the church.

The interviews with his brothers, the dad jokes and seeing him try to use FaceTime have already made him relatable. When I’ve seen this type of Pope Leo content, it instantly reminds me of my grandparents or a great uncle. It makes me and others want to see and learn more of him because we can see a glimpse of our lives in his.

This sense of relatability and meeting Americans where they’re at will undoubtedly have an impact on the growth of Catholicism in our nation. It shows us that we can be human and, at the same time, be a part of a discipline of faith. To add to this anticipation of growth, you also must take into account the clergy members (deacons, priests and bishops) that serve us in our communities and how they’ll take his lead in this style of evangelization.

As for Catholicism in the Central Valley, I know first-hand that we have a bishop and many clergy that see the importance of relatability and meeting people where they’re at. Whether that be social media or among the marginalized. We are also led by a body of priests, including our bishops, who know the value of humility and continue to be vulnerable in an effort to better reach their flocks.

I know from my discussions with Bishop Brennan that he is excited for this new chapter under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV. On behalf of the bishop and the Diocese of Fresno, I ask that you join us in praying for Pope Leo and the growth of the Catholic faith in and beyond our beautiful country.