Bishop James Conley will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Leo XIV Monday, May 19, at 5 p.m. in the Cathedral of the
Risen Christ in Lincoln. All are welcome.
Bishop James Conley watched the announcement of the new pope in the library of the diocesan Chancery office in Lincoln May 8.
The bishop gathered with chancery staff members, several eating lunch while watching the broadcast from the Vatican on television. They first watched the white smoke bellow from the Sistine Chapel smokestack signaling the selection of a new pope. Shortly after that, the bells of the Cathedral of the Risen Christ next to the chancery began ringing out.
After about a half hour, staff gathered again in the library to watch the announcement of the new pope.
As the new pope was announced, Bishop Conley, who spent a decade working at the Vatican, including in the office of the Congregation for Bishops, was the first to recognize the name of Cardinal Prevost.
“American!” Bishop Conley exclaimed. “It’s the American!”
In a short interview with the Register, Bishop Conley later described his reaction.
“I was absolutely shocked,” he said. “I was very surprised. I just didn’t think it was possible for an American to become pope, the successor of St. Peter. So that was the very first reaction that I had; (it) was shock.”
Bishop Conley watched the coverage for several more minutes before going back to his office to begin a series of interviews with local media on the election of Pope Leo XIV. The bishop had not previously met Cardinal Prevost, although the two exchanged letters in the past. Bishop Conley talked with a couple of his brother bishops around the world who had met Cardinal Prevost.
One of the men, when he was first named a bishop, “went to the new bishops’ school and one of the most impressive speakers during that week… in Rome was Cardinal Prevost,” Bishop Conley said of one of his conversations with another bishop. “He said he was just struck by what a decent human being he was... When you meet somebody and you think, ‘this one’s authentic.’”
Bishop Conley said his brother bishop had three private discussions with Prevost that week, and went away from each conversation with a very positive impression.
Bishop Conley proceeded to do three television interviews, two radio interviews and one newspaper interview that afternoon.
In addition to the bishop’s interviews, Father Joseph Wahlmeier and Father Andrew Schwenka, both of whom are currently studying in Rome, did interviews with the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper and KLKN-TV.
The two priests also produced three video commentaries on the death of Pope Francis, the conclave and the election of Pope Leo XIV, sharing their experiences and observations during this time with those back in the Diocese of Lincoln.
They were in St. Peter’s Square May 8, watching the chimney when the white smoke billowed out.
“It was wild to be there in the square,” Father Schwenka said, amid “the excitement and anticipation. Now we knew we had a pope.”
When the protodeacon came out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s and announced, “Habemus Papam,” Father Schwenka said, “the place just goes nuts.”
“We had no idea who he is or what that means,” he said, “but just to have a pope, and how amazing it is that as a Church, the Lord has given us this figure, this leader, this vicar of Christ on earth,” he said. “To have a pope again… the joy of the people in the square was incredible.”
Father Wahlmeier agreed.
“It went crazy—but then it quieted down,” he said. “You could hear a pin drop, because he’s about to announce the name.”
Father Wahlmeier said he was with Chicago priests who also reside at the Casa Santa Maria, the residence for U.S. priests in Rome.
“Their faces like, melted,” he said. “They’re like, ‘he’s from Chicago!’
“Not a lot of other people maybe understood what was said,” he continued, “so we start spreading in the crowd, ‘it’s an American pope!’ and no one can believe it. We never thought we’d get an American pope.”
The priests’ video included the crowd’s enthusiastic reaction at the name Leo XIV, as well.
Pope Leo XIII, Father Schwenka pointed out, was a central figure in Church history “and especially Catholic social teaching, at a time in history when the world was kind of going through the industrial revolution” and a “change of eras.”
“And the Lord gave us Leo XIII. And so for this time,” he said, “he’s given us Leo XIV. And that’s a beautiful thing.”
Father Wahlmeier pointed out that Leo XIV, in his first address, said “‘Peace be with you,’ the words of the Risen Christ to a tumultuous Church as well, at a turn of an age” after the resurrection. So Pope Leo XIV wanted to “lead with that as well, to be that voice of peace, of unity, of steadying the ship as we go forward in history,” Father Wahlmeier said.
The videos were shared on social media and are available to watch on the diocese’s YouTube channel, @CatholicDioceseOfLincoln.
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Courtesy photos
Bishop Conley’s reaction to the new pope also attracted attention on social media. A 21-second clip of his initial reaction to the announcement of Cardinal Prevost as the next pope received approximately 1.9 million views total on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube, making it likely the most-viewed video ever produced by the Diocese of Lincoln. It also had more than 27,000 likes/reactions.
An approximately two-minute video interview with Bishop Conley about the new pope reached an additional 176,000 people across all social media platforms; 147,000 of those views were on the bishop’s X account.
During the interview with the Register, Bishop Conley talked more about what could be ahead for the Church with Pope Leo XIV.
“My hope is that he’ll bring unity in the Church as much as he can… and stability. Drawing upon the great teachings of his predecessors, but to bring a sense of confidence and stability in what the Church has to offer,” Bishop Conley said.
“I think that people are looking for that – the permanent things – things that you can bank on and count on, like Jesus Christ and his message of the Gospel; the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, and the hope of a future.
“That’s what I think we need more than ever because young people are looking for that. That’s why I think young people will respond to someone like that.”
Bishop Conley said he feels the Church in the United States is a very vibrant Church, “with examples of robust parish life, faithful Catholic education and young adults engaging with their Catholic faith.” He said he would like to see Pope Leo bring that energy to the universal Church and to the Vatican, using it to address both the opportunities and the challenges the Church faces.
