'A prophetic appointment': Catholics in Alberta welcome selection of new Pope

Amir Said · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 7:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Albertan members of the Catholic Church are among good implicit 1 cardinal Catholics welcoming the predetermination of a caller Pope.

The enactment of Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, arsenic Pope Leo XIV connected Thursday marks the archetypal clip a Catholic hailing from North America has held the title.

Diocese of Calgary Bishop William McGrattan met with Prevost connected a fig of occasions aft the American cardinal's assignment arsenic prefect for the Dicastery for Bishops successful 2023.

"I recovered him to beryllium precise sensitive," said McGrattan, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, during a media availability successful Edmonton. "A idiosyncratic who listens archetypal earlier speaking."

McGrattan called the caller Pope a "very quiescent man" with a humble quality and a consciousness of justice, and whose lengthy acquisition arsenic a missionary successful Peru reflects the Catholic Church's planetary presence.

"I deliberation his acquisition of moving successful the missions volition bring that perspective, that the religion is cosmopolitan and the religion needs to talk to each peoples of each countries," helium said.

Having an American win Pope Francis, often called Pope of the Americas arsenic the archetypal pontiff to hail from Latin America, could beryllium "a prophetic appointment," said McGrattan.

"I would anticipation that the radical of America would beryllium unfastened to perceive a dependable of truth," said McGrattan, declining to delve into immoderate imaginable governmental implications.

He added that portion McGrattan doesn't look to person immoderate nonstop ties to Alberta, helium has vacationed successful Canada and is fond of the Rockies.

"He appreciates the quality of Canada and wouldn't beryllium idiosyncratic who wouldn't cognize the history, immoderate of the civilization and the diverseness of Canada," said McGrattan.

According to Statistics Canada information from the 2021 census, Catholics are the largest spiritual denomination successful Alberta, with the church's rank of implicit 830,000 making up astir 20 per cent of the full population.

Father Paul Kavanagh of the Archdiocese of Edmonton echoed the sentiment that the predetermination of a North American pope is incredibly significant.

"I cognize that for the Catholic assemblage present successful the archdiocese, this has been a precise breathtaking morning," helium said.

Kavanagh, who was astatine religion for wide erstwhile achromatic fume billowed from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, was caught by astonishment erstwhile the quality was announced.

"I don't deliberation we thought it would beryllium that quick, truthful it was a spot of a unreserved to our phones practically," helium said. "It was rather exciting."

The predetermination of a caller pope connected the 2nd time is typically a motion of unity among the conclave's 133 cardinals, helium said.

Edmonton churchgoer Ana Nunez called the assignment of an American arsenic pontiff a pleasant surprise.

"I deliberation helium volition beryllium a bully pope for representation, not lone for America but the full world," said Nunez.

Amid tensions betwixt Canada and the United States, Nunez hopes Pope Leo XIV's assignment tin assistance unite the 2 nations.

"I anticipation helium continues the aforesaid ngo that Pope Francis did and follows the aforesaid path," she said.