Please find a statement below from Duquesne University President Ken Gormley on the election of Pope Leo XIV.
“The election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope – taking the name Pope Leo
XIV – is historic and should be reassuring to Catholics worldwide. The first American-born
Cardinal to become Pope – at a time when the United States faces challenges in conveying
a positive image around the world – is a historic nod to this nation’s importance
in the global community.
“The fact that Pope Leo has spent the last decade holding key apostolic positions
in Peru, and also as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome – gives him a breadth
of experience that positions him to be both a pastoral leader of the global Catholic
Church, and a skilled ambassador on the world scene. A graduate of Villanova University
and a canon lawyer, Pope Leo also has strong ties to Pennsylvania, and will likely
be a visible figure in North America, Central America and South America, strengthening
the Church’s presence in this country and this hemisphere. Perhaps most significantly,
though, Pope Leo was carefully positioned by Pope Francis for successively important
positions in the Church and in the Vatican; he had clearly earned Pope Francis’s vote
of confidence as a potential successor to carry on his important work.
“For that reason, the new era that begins today with the election of Pope Leo is likely
to mark the strengthening and expansion of Pope Francis’s pastoral and humanistic
approach to the role of supreme pontiff, expanding the reach of the Church and embracing
all individuals, including those who have been marginalized. For that reason, this
is an outcome that Pope Francis would almost certainly view with quiet approval.”
Duquesne University
Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities
for its award-winning faculty and horizon-expanding education. A campus of nearly
8,200 graduate and undergraduate students, Duquesne prepares students by having them
work alongside faculty to discover and reach their goals. The University's academic
programs, community service and commitment to equity and opportunity in the Pittsburgh
region have earned national acclaim.
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