The election of Cardinal Robert Prevost to become Pope Leo XIV was met with joy and congratulations from Catholic leaders around the Ohio Valley.

Prevost became the first American-born Cardinal to be elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church. Born in Chicago, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.

The Most Rev. Mark Brennan, Bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, said the election of Pope Leo XIV should be a unifying moment for the church and Catholics across the globe.

“Habemus Papam! We thank God, who through the power of the Holy Spirit has guided the Cardinal electors to select Robert Cardinal Francis Prevost to be the Vicar for Christ on earth,” Brennan said in a statement. “As Pope Leo XIV prepares to begin his role as Pontiff, let us unite in prayer for him and his ministry.

“As Catholics in America, let us pray especially for Leo XIV, that the Holy Spirit continue to guide him as he begins his service to the Catholic Church throughout the world,” he added.

Catholic Charities President and CEO Mark Phillips said the organization celebrates the appointment of Pope Leo and is “very excited” to see the first American pope take office. Phillips added that Pope Francis was “very focused” on the principle of synodality, which is working with lay people and the clergy to “determine the right way forward in the church,” and added Pope Leo “seems to want to continue with that tradition.”

“We look forward to continued dialogue, not only with the clergy, but with all faiths as we think about the most important and pressing issues facing the Catholic Church,” Phillips said. “We’re encouraged by Pope Leo’s commitment to continue Francis’ tradition of caring for the poor and marginalized. We look forward to his term as Pope and will keep him in our prayers as he begins.”

Bishop Edward M. Lohse, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Steubenville, agreed that Catholics worldwide should join in prayer for the new Pope.

“We pledge our prayers in support of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV,” Lohse said, “in communion with him and with all who look to the Successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ, as the visible head of the pilgrim Church on earth.

“In this joyful Easter season, as we continue to celebrate Christ’s triumph over sin and death, may God pour forth his blessings upon Pope Leo XIV. May the Holy Father be strengthened and supported by our prayers,” Lohse added.

Franciscan University of Steubenville also joined in the celebration of the new Pope. University President Father Dave Pivonka offered his congratulations and expressed his joy in the news.

“To God be the glory,” Pivonka said. “With trust in God’s providence, I rejoice with the entire Church in the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. An Augustinian friar, who has vowed to live in poverty, chastity, and obedience, our new Holy Father has served Christ and the Church in the United States, Peru, and Rome.

“As he now takes up leadership of the worldwide Catholic Church, I pray the Holy Spirit will use Pope Leo XIV to draw all members of the Church and the world into the saving love of Jesus,” Pivonka added.

Jacob W. Wood, associate professor of theology and director of the PhD in sacred theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, said the new Pope would serve as a bridge between eras and cultures.

“The Holy Father called us to be missionary bridge builders,” Wood said, “and that is exactly what he embodies in himself: as an American who served as a missionary in Peru, he bridges the Global North and Global South; with his service as a cardinal in Rome he bridges the Old World and the New; and as a son of St. Augustine, he connects tradition with the missionary needs of the Church today. God bless Pope Leo XIV!”