Bishop Patrick J. Zurek Issues Statement On Pope Leo XIV

“Every time we get a new Pope, I hear from different people—some are good friends, some are priests, some are bishops—and they always want to know what do I think of the one who’s elected? Well, we have not been praying in vain all these weeks since Pope Francis died. I am convinced and have been convinced for years that God gives us the Pope that we need at that point in history.
 
“Sometimes people wonder ‘why is this Cardinal made the Pope?’ It is simply again, the Church needs the assistance of the Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit Himself who guides us into that decision. All these days of praying for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis was part of this, as was all the prayers to the Holy Spirit to guide the Cardinals in their decision.
 
“It was very interesting earlier today that there were all these theories of who was going to be the Pope, and I chuckled to myself and remembered the old saying that exists in Rome: ‘The Cardinal who walks into the Consistory as Pope walks out as a Cardinal.’ That’s irrelevant. The Spirit has chosen him for us, now, and Pope Leo XIV is going to be our Pope. I hope and pray that all of us Catholics, especially priests and bishops, will give our most heartfelt support to him. He seems, even though I’ve never met him, very, very qualified for the job. He is an American; we would have to say he is an American from North America, an American from Central America and South America. It’s a whole lot of America in this man. I trust again that the Spirit has guided the Cardinals well, beyond their imagination, and I think we’ve got a good one.
 
 
“If you ask, where do I stand in relationship with Pope Leo XIV? I’m a Roman Catholic priest, dedicated to serving the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world. Of course, I would give him my wholehearted support and I will continue my prayers for him, that he be the best Pope he can possibly be.”