- Chicago Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, was elected as the new pope, taking the name Leo XIV after receiving two-thirds of the papal conclave vote.
- Bishop Oscar A. Solis of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City expressed confidence in Pope Leo XIV.
- Bishop Solis added that a pope's nationality doesn't affect their sacred responsibilities and highlighted Utah's unique and strong interfaith community.
White smoke emerged from the Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel, Thursday afternoon, announcing the selection of the Catholic Church’s next pope, and leaders around the world, including Utah’s Catholic leaders, voiced their support.
Chicago native Robert Prevost, 69, earned two-thirds of votes in the papal conclave on Thursday, having served for about two decades in religious positions in Peru, per CNN.
Choosing Leo as a new name is fitting, Vatican analyst George Weigel said, since Pope Leo XIII “was a great supporter of the church in the United States,” per The Times.
Following the conclave‘s vote, the Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City held a press conference at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, showing his support and trust in Pope Leo.
Though Bishop Solis has not met the new pope, he expressed admiration for his accomplishments and character. “He has a lot of experience,” the bishop said. “He speaks Italian, English. ... He has been working in the Vatican for years and has held a variety of offices, and so I think he is a well-rounded person. He has so much experience to guide the church at this point of time.”
Bishop Solis added that Pope Leo will continue the work of previous popes with a special emphasis on what he believes “the church needs to do at this particular time.”
Faith in previous popes leads Bishop Solis to faith in Pope Leo
Bishop Solis explained, “I am comfortable with any pope that is elected, because for the past 2,000 years after Christ appointed Peter as his successor, popes have been faithful to the teachings of Christ.”
He continued, “They have expressed the goodness and power of Christ in so many ways, beyond our imagination. So our church and the leaders God has appointed, elected or chosen have been great servants, so I am comfortable that Pope Leo will be able to carry a beautiful legacy.”
Bishop Solis added that Pope Leo will carry on the “special designation” of all popes: to be the servant of all servants.
Bishop Solis on the significance of an American pope
Nationality will not influence the pope‘s service as the head of the Catholic Church, Bishop Solis said.
“Whether you are American, you are an Italian, you are Asian, European or whatever race or descent, it doesn’t undermine your great responsibilities,” Bishop Solis said. “There is a wonderful, sacred responsibility in our Catholic Church, being appointed a leader.”
The bishop related Pope Leo‘s service in the Vatican and beyond to his own service in Utah.
“I am a Filipino, but I don’t serve as a Filipino bishop. I serve as a servant of God, elected to be the bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City,” he said.
Bishop Solis added that some of the responsibilities set on the new pope‘s shoulders are not his alone to bear, “but it is the responsibility of everyone.”
“The church stands for love, the universal love of God to all people, especially to the poor and the marginalized, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he talks about immigrants, refugees, the life of the unborn, you know,” Bishop Solis said.
Bishop Solis loves Salt Lake‘s interfaith community
Utah’s interfaith community has been strong since the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games, and Bishop Solis told reporters at the Cathedral of the Madeleine Thursday that “there‘s something unique” about Utah’s interfaith relationships.
“It’s good to be talking about interfaith stuff,” he said.
Though originally from the Philippines, Bishop Solis has served in various positions around the U.S. for several decades.
“When I was made bishop, I was elected by Pope John Paul II,” he said, adding that he had first served as a priest in Louisiana in the late 1980s. He told the Deseret News that he served as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 2003 to 2017, and has been in Utah since.
Bishops, just like popes, don’t know when or if their positions will change, Bishop Solis explained.
“It’s God’s will,” he said.
In a statement released after the press conference, Bishop Solis asked members of his congregations as well “all our brothers and sisters throughout the world” to join him in prayer for the new pope.
Other Utah leaders congratulate Pope Leo
Former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney responded to the news of Leo’s election on X, Thursday afternoon. “The world has been blessed by the voice and example of Pope Francis. May Pope Leo XIV likewise draw upon the best of humankind and lead toward the Savior, Jesus Christ,” he said.
“We ... give thanks to God for our newly elected Pope Leo XIV. It is the joyful vocation of a Carmelite nun to pray for our Holy Father, thus we assure Pope Leo of our love and unceasing prayer for him. May Pope Leo be strengthened by God’s peace and love,” said the Carmelite Nuns of Salt Lake City in a released statement.