Catholics in Southern California joined parishioners from around the world on Thursday, celebrating a historic moment with the first pope election from the United States.
Once upon a time, Cardinal Robert Prebust chose the name of Leo XIV and appeared from the balcony of St. Peter’s Cathedral to a cheering crowd as the 267th Pope leading the Catholic Church. A relatively young 69-year-old capable of serving for decades, Prevost, a Chicago native, was in charge of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru until 2023 when Francis brought him to Rome.
Viva Papa! Viva Papa Leo Xiv! pic.twitter.com/pk08xepvwt
– Archdiocese of LA (@lacatholics) May 8, 2025
He was the Vatican’s powerful Dicaster governor for bishops and was responsible for reviewing bishops’ nominations around the world. He also served as president of the Latin American Pope Commission.
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez was scheduled to speak at Pope Leo XIV’s election at 2pm at Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in downtown Los Angeles. Mass is scheduled for 12:10pm
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles posted on social media, “La Catholics thank Pope Leo XIV for their gratitude to God.”
Earlier on Thursday, crowds outside the basilica erupted in cheers, like white smoke poured from the chimneys of the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new Pope was chosen on the second day of the Pope Conclave.
The conclave began on Wednesday. This ended with black smoke swirling from the chapel chimney, informing us that the Pope was not chosen. Some of the Cardinals said they were expecting a short conclave, but recent history suggests that several votes are needed.
For most of the past century, Conclaves needed 3-14 votes to find the Pope. John Paul I – the Pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 – was elected by the fourth vote. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight.
Watch live at St. Peter’s Square while we wait for something new #pope!
📸: @osvnews
Watch: https://t.co/nphrni1xwl pic.twitter.com/5p6r6nzoao
– Archdiocese of LA (@lacatholics) May 8, 2025
Pope Francis was elected fifth in 2013.
Francis, a former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, passed away on April 21st at the Vatican, a day after Easter, at the age of 88. He served as Pope for 12 years.
Francis’ shoes were on display in downtown Los Angeles Cathedral. The shoes were a gift from the late Pope to Noel Diaz, a Los Angeles evangelist and journalist.
Archbishop Gomez said that Francis was “always very close to all of us in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He sent us a beautiful message during the wildfires, and he was always in touch with us.”
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is comprised of vast areas of Southern California, spanning three counties: Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara. As of 2005, the total Roman Catholic population within the Archdiocese was 4.3 million. There are 288 parishes in 120 cities.
