Diocese of Orlando rejoices as Pope Leo XIV offers message of peace, hope, unity for all the Church
ORLANDO | Father Phillip Mills was vesting for the celebration of Mass when staff members of St. James Cathedral in Orlando rushed in exclaiming, “White smoke! White smoke!”
That exclamation indicated that the conclave of cardinals in Vatican City had selected a new pope. It would be another hour before the world knew his name – Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the Order of St. Augustine would become Pope Leo XIV.
“We were getting ready to celebrate a Mass for the election of a pope and instead I’m flipping the pages finding a Mass to pray for our pope,” Father Mills said, smiling broadly. “Such an incredible joy that the first thing we were able to do here in this community as a parish family was to gather around the altar. We shared in the Eucharist, the same Eucharist that Pope Leo XIV is celebrating. The Eucharist which celebrates our unity with him and how he has unity with the whole Church.”
He added the new pope represents “the great unity of the Church.”
“His being elected so quickly by all the cardinals shows the unity with the Holy Spirit happening among our leaders, and the unity of the Universal Church,” Father Mills said.
Bishop John Noonan said in a statement: “As we learned of the white smoke, we proclaim Psalm 66, ‘Let all the earth cry out to God with great joy!’ Habemus Papam! With great joy we receive the news of the 267th successor of St. Peter, Pope Leo XIV. May we remember the words of Jesus, “They shall all be taught by God.” May our Holy Father receive his ministry with love of God and lead us to know, love and serve God all our days.”
During a press conference May 8, 2025, that followed the Mass, Bishop Noonan shared his thoughts. “The fact we have a cardinal from the United States named as pope is a great privilege for all of us serving in the United States as priests or bishops, that we have a brother now who has come to the chair of Peter.”
Explaining the significance of the name Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Noonan recalled Pope Leo XIII was pope in the 1800s known for his strides in social justice.
“I would expect (Pope Leo XIV) to be a man for the people and for the world, for those who are underprivileged, those who are seeking justice, those who are on the peripheries of life,” he said, adding the new Holy Father is fluent in many languages, including Spanish, Italian, English, French and Portuguese. Bishop Noonan said he believes Pope Leo XIV will be a great benefit to the Church.
“By trade he is a mathematician. So, he’s probably very concrete, sequential. He has a sharp mind, and I think he’s going to be able to relate to people of any nationality or any language,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 after he was named Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission in Latin America. He has called for bishops to be more missionary and service-oriented. He has promoted synodality and protection of the environment and spoken against female ordination.
Along with Father Mills and Bishop Noonan, Father Miguel González, rector of St. James Cathedral in Orlando and Father Ángel García, parochial vicar of Holy Cross Parish in Orlando, were present at the press conference. Father González said the new Holy Father’s name — Leo — harkens the legacy Pope Leo XIII, who was a shepherd for “social justice, the rights of workers, a person very connected with the dignity of human beings.” Father González is excited the new pope will evoke the example of Pope Leo XIII along with the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who focused on those most in need and the needs of all humanity.
“You could see what he was conveying through his body language. On his face you could see eyes full of love and emotion and joy mixed together,” Father Gonzalez said. “We have someone truly human in his vulnerabilities and brokenness, who presents himself before the Lord who has called him. And with trust he moves forward to embrace the role he’s been entrusted with.”
The rector acknowledged “the Holy Spirit at work, the hand of God as we continue to move forward to be instruments that can convey hope and trust to the people we encounter along life’s journey.”
“It assures Christ is laboring in His Church and how we are all called to continue strengthening that trust for all who hear that Word, are nourished by it, and share it with others,” the rector continued.
Father García stressed the importance of recognizing Pope Leo XIV as the first American pope, but also as a missionary, who served more than a decade in Peru.
“He knows the Hispanic culture,” he said. “And at the international level, he was in charge of the Dicastery of Bishops, so he has an understanding of the universal Church. … How perfect to have a pope who brings us a message of peace, hope and unity for all the Church.”
And these are the wishes of the faithful who joined the priests in St. James Parish Hall, eagerly awaiting the new pope’s appearance on the balcony facing St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
Liliana Pascuzzi was born in Florida and is of Mexican descent. The St. John Vianney parishioner happened to be at St. James picking up her wedding certificate when she noticed the people in the parish hall. Surprised to have an American pope she said, “I hope he unites us, both those born here and in other countries. I hope his message of peace, love, and tolerance is spoken aloud to unite us all.”
Maria Gueco of St. Margaret Mary also hopes for unity and that “he is guided to bring in the young and continue what Pope Francis started, especially the marginalized.”
Eighteen-year-old Elina Del Rosario of St. Isaac Jogues agreed. “It touched me emotionally, the fact he’s American and from our grounds,” she said. “It’s very inspiring. I love that he said he’s here to build bridges and continue. I think that’s very important in our faith. I loved his approach to everyone and his mention of Mother Mary — bringing her into the picture because she’s crucial to our relationship with the Lord. I’m excited to see how he carries on the Church and how he leads us. And I hope everything goes according to God’s will.”
Click here to watch a behind the scenes video from the press conference with Bishop Noonan.
By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, May 08, 2025