San Diegans welcome Leo XIV as first U.S. Pope: Visited St. Augustine High School
As the Rev. Prevost, he celebrated Mass at St. Augustine High School just east of Balboa Park during the school's 90th anniversary in 2012-13.
Dante Ulanday - News Moderator 
San Diegans — including those at a school he once visited — hailed the selection of Chicago native Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope on Thursday, as he became the first American to ever hold the position.
Prevost will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
“The University of San Diego joins Catholics worldwide who today celebrate the selection of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as our newly elected pope, the first American-born pope to lead 1.4 billion Catholics,” a statement from the University of San Diego read.
“Pope Leo XIV embodies the university’s mission and vision, one that seeks to affirm the dignity of every human by building bridges and leading with compassion.
“Together, we continue to work toward a world where we welcome all by fostering peace, working for justice, and leading with love. May God Bless Pope Leo XIV.”
As the Rev. Prevost, he celebrated Mass at St. Augustine High School just east of Balboa Park during the school’s 90th anniversary in 2012-13.
“To now see him step onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the 267th pope is nothing short of humbling,” the school posted on Instagram.
“A fellow Augustinian and man of deep faith, his presence at Saints left a lasting impression. … We’re proud, we’re, inspired, and we’re praying for his journey ahead. Once a Saint, always a Saint.”
Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Father Joe’s Villages, also met and spoke with the new pontiff when he was a cardinal. “Pope Leo XIV’s many years of pastoral experience, his commitment to justice and his deep spirituality are an example of life lived in service to Jesus Christ,” he said in a statement.
“We’ve heard him speak of a church that seeks peace and remains close to our neighbors who suffer. Our wounded world needs justice, healing and hope and we look to spread Pope Leo XIV’s message to share that love with those in need. I look forward to His Holiness inspiring us to foster dialogue and uphold the dignity and worth of every human life.”
The new pope — who attended Saint Augustine Seminary, a Catholic prep school in Michigan — was chosen on the second day of the conclave of 133 cardinals from around the world at the Vatican. Pope Leo will replace Pope Francis, who was a former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was the first Latin American pontiff.
Francis died April 21 in the Vatican at age 88 – one day after Easter. He had served as pope for 12 years.
The selection of an American for pope came as a surprise to many.
“I don’t think an American should be pope,” then-San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy told reporters in May 2022.
The United States has so much power “in so many levels,” he said, that having an American pope would be a “counterpoint to the witness that the church has to continue to be giving.”
Now-Cardinal McElroy relocated to Washington, DC, in February, where he told an audience this week he had “no idea” who would be chosen.
Prevost, 69, spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru, but was chosen by Francis to lead the Vatican’s Office of Bishops. The office reviews nominations in the appointment of bishops around the world.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond kept it brief on X, posting “An American Pope!” followed by an American flag emoji.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Updated at 4:20 p.m. May 8, 2025
