The timing felt symbolic, one Colorado priest said Thursday. As white smoke rose over the Vatican, signaling the election of a new pope, nearly all the priests in the Archdiocese of Denver were gathered at a convocation in Colorado Springs.
“We were in our last sort of session ... when the white smoke happened,” said the Rev. Luke Barder, pastor at St. Dominic Parish in Denver. “It was quite powerful to have all my brother priests there. And just seeing it together and praying together through it ... it was quite special.”
Catholics across Colorado are reacting to the historic election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV — the first American pope and the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Barder, a Dominican friar, said he was “on perpetual pope watch” during the conclave where the next pope was chosen and had been up early Thursday to watch the first ballots. When the announcement came hours later, he was surprised that an American was chosen.
But more notable than Pope Leo’s nationality, Barder said, is his background. Leo is a missionary bishop with deep ties to Peru. He is also a priest from the Augustinian order, which follows the teachings of St. Augustine. Leo doesn’t have a traditional diocesan background, meaning he is not rooted in a particular territorial area.
Barder explained that this kind of spirituality is rooted in community living and brings a different approach to the priesthood, which came through clearly in Pope Leo’s first public message.
“One of the other themes he kept bringing up ... was bridge-building,” Barder said, noting Leo’s repeated phrase of walking together. He said it “feels like a continuation of the invitation Pope Francis gave us.”
At Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs, Ruth Roland, director of mission advancement, said the news stunned her community.
“We were all very surprised that it is an American pope. We had thought that would never happen.”
She recalled a conversation happening moments earlier where a team member who is not Catholic innocently asked whether people would ever see an American pope.
“And we were like, ‘No, that’ll never happen,’” Roland said.
Roland said she was encouraged by Pope Leo’s name choice — a nod to Pope Leo XIII, who she said started social teaching in Catholicism, which sought to address economic and social inequality. Like Barder, she sees the work that Pope Francis started continuing with Pope Leo.
Barder also pointed to the symbolism of Leo’s first words as pope: “Peace be with you,” adding, “The world right now doesn’t feel a lot of peace … The Holy Spirit's doing something.”
Colorado Springs Bishop James Golka called the election “a truly historic and beautiful moment,” and praised the “unbroken line of apostolic authority that stretches back more than 2,000 years.”
Meanwhile, Colorado Governor Jared Polis released a statement congratulating Catholics on “the historic selection of the first American Pope,” and voiced hope that Leo XIV would follow “the path of the late Pope Francis of love and kindness for all who walk the earth.”
Meanwhile, bells rang prominently in downtown Denver at Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, where a special Mass was held after the selection of Pope Leo.
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