Catholics of the world regard the first American pope as the pope with little to no America

The surprising elections of Roman Catholics around the world are confused by Roman Catholics around the world, who think that such an outcome is unlikely and may not be welcomed – until Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and chose to say a few sentences in Spanish.

In a flash, the new pope (formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost) shows that his identity will ignore ease of classification. He chose that critical moment Thursday night, not to speak anything in English or mention the United States. He seemed to be planning to convey a message that he was not a typical American.

It works. Chicago-born Pope Leo has the legacy of Creole, lived in Peru for decades, speaking at least three languages ​​and establishing himself as a world citizen. Catholics around the world compete to claim their multicultural and multilingual backgrounds.

“He thinks he is American, but he also thinks he is Peruvian,” said Julia Caillet, 33, an osteopath who is outside Notre Dame in Paris, outside Notre Dame in Paris, for young Catholics who celebrate the new pope on Friday night. “He is the pastor of the world.”

At a time when President Trump isolates the United States from diplomatic allies and trading partners and subverts much of the world's order, some Catholics fear that America's Pontive may somehow bring the Roman Catholic Church closer to the turbulent U.S. government.

Instead, Pope Leo seems to reassure them at least for the time being that he will preserve the church as a global moral voice, calling for peace and justice, especially for immigrants, poor and victims of war in Pope Francis.

He was described as more reserved and diplomatic than Francis. However, Pope Leo's passionate discourse on Peru, where he lived and worked for more than 20 years, had dual citizenship, and he recalled Catholics from Francis, Argentina.

Vatican News says Leo is 69 years old and is not the first pope in the United States, but the second pope “from America.” The South Americans soon declared them.

“He is more important than the Americans,” Brazil's Cardinal Odilo Scherer said in a press conference on Friday.

Regarding the issue of the new pope's nationality, he and several other Brazilian cardinals asked questions after one question. A Brazilian journalist said that the American pope seems to be taboo due to the power of the United States.

It was a relief to Mexico City Catholic entrepreneur Araceli Torres Hallal, 64, who learned in the past few days that the new pope was not “pure American.”

“We are threatened by them,” she said of the United States. “So if the Pope was completely American, it would be a total disaster, the cold on his face.”

Mrs. Torres saw Pope Leo as a bishop and a missionary in Peru who had been through the Order of St. Augustine, and his 12 years led the order globally, which was essential to shape him into a pastor related to the needs of poor and vulnerable people. She said she hoped he would be the counterweight of some of Mr. Trump's anti-immigration policies.

Even calling Pope Leo “American” disturbs Latinos who are unhappy with the word to describe someone in the United States because they see it as a form of imperialism. They believe that “America” ​​should apply to anyone on the entire continent, i.e., from North America, Central America or South America.

The 133 cardinals who elected Pope Leo in the two-day conclusion will certainly realize that the possible criticism they may face is the possible criticism of choosing a pope from superpowers, where about 80% of them are not even Catholic, especially to succeed Francis, who focus on what he calls the “periphery”, far from Rome, and mostly in the global south.

Many of the cardinals in the meeting were named by Francis. They came from more countries than ever and shared his views, but no matter what, they elected Americans, they were described as a deep spiritual and fulfilling process.

Several cardinals concluded that Pope Leo's nationality has little to do with it.

“In the end, I don't think the country of origin is the deciding factor,” Luis Antonio Antonio Tagle of the Philippines was considered a top contender to enter the conference, he said in a press conference on Friday. “Ultimately, it’s about people who can really serve the church.”

In the Philippines, many loyal people are rooted in Cardinal Tagle, one of several potential contenders to becoming the first Asian pope. But some say they have been won by Pope Leo.

Mary Mary John Mananzan, a Benedictine nun, superior and director of St. Koracinga Academy in San Fernando, Philippines, has been reported to be aware that on social media, on social media, a vice president, JD Vance, who criticized JD Vance, which attempted to defend Catholic teaching in order to defend Catholic teaching in order to defend mass immigrants from the United States.

“Although his qualities are mild, he has the integrity to express his opinion when someone violates human rights,” she said of the new pope.

In Africa, the church grows faster than anywhere else in the world, Adelaide Ndilu said she was surprised to find out that the new pope was American. Then she danced happily.

Ms. Ndilu, 59, is a producer and host of Kenya's national Catholic radio station Waumini, who said she trusts Pope Leo because he is proficient in multiple languages ​​and has been in the Peruvian and Creole legacy for many years.

After being elected, the genealogist sent records indicating that his grandparents might have been from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and France.

She hopes background will help him navigate the growing cultural and spiritual diversity among church members.

“We want a pope to have access to the periphery and bring the church out of its comfort zone,” she said. “We want a pope for all people.”

Laurent Stalla-Bourdillon, a pastor and theologian of Paris Paris, said he seemed normal that the first American pope would have a very mixed legacy.

“For us, this is America: hybrid, many origins, many generations of immigrants,” he said. “It’s a melting pot.”

Finally, the most basic part of Pope Leo’s identity may not be his American or his Peruvian nationality, some members of clergy and religious experts.

From a very young age, the new pope was identified as an Augustine, a member of a religious order known for his emphasis on missionary services and community.

“He entered the Augustines when he was 17!” said Archbishop of Algiers, another member of the Order, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco.

“I'm Dominican. It's another citizenship,” he said Friday. “You belong to another reality. When you're in order, the difference in the country is second only to his mind. In his opinion, I'm sure it is.”

Reported by aie balagtas see in Manila; Aurelien Breeden and Katherine Porter in Paris; Lynsey Chutel in London; Tatiana Firstova and Clay resurrection in Berlin; Jason Horowitz in Rome; Anna Ionova and Jack Nicas in Rio de Janeiro; vjosa isai in Toronto; Abdi Latif Dahir in Nairobi, Kenya; Ruth MacLean in Dakar, Senegal; Cui Sang in Seoul; Paulina Villegas In Mexico City, and Sui-Lee Wee in Davao City, Philippines.