WHITE SMOKE.

It didn’t matter if you were Catholic or not—on Thursday, it seemed like everyone on the planet was captivated by these two words. Once the College of Cardinals made a papal decision and the smoke conveyed the good news, you couldn’t escape the phrase: it resided on breaking news tickers of all stations, screamed in all-caps on social media, and filled up text message chains.

After the initial adrenaline rush and hysteria from just seeing the white smoke, attention started to shift to the monumental question: WHO?

I don’t think I need to fill much of this space with the pleasant shock I felt when Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the next pope. I shared the same sentiment as pretty much every other Catholic…surprise. This line is cliché by now, but I too didn’t think I would ever live to see an American pope. But here we are.

Count me all-in when it comes to the papacy of Pope Leo XIV! I am optimistic and excited for the direction of his holy leadership. Let me share three quick tidbits surrounding his selection…

I am excited for the papacy of Pope Leo XIV.

– Initially, you hear commentators proclaim that Pope Leo XIV is a moderate. I dislike using political terms to describe leadership tendencies of the Bishop of Rome so let me paraphrase it in a different way: I think the new pope is going to make the Church even stronger by uniting the faithful to a degree we haven’t seen in 20 years.

– It has been surreal for me to realize just how…umm…American that Pope Leo XIV is. I can go back to when he was Cardinal/Bishop Prevost and watch clips of him talking in plain English. I can view news reports featuring his siblings—ordinary American people—talking about an extraordinary disciple of Christ. I can scope out past social media posts, learn about his favorite Chicago teams, and research his time at Villanova. Pope Leo XIV simply hits very close to home…what a blessing!

– Speaking of blessings, I had the good fortune of benefiting from the insight and expertise of my pastor, Fr. Jeff Lewis, before/during/after the announcement of Pope Leo. When the white smoke was spotted, the Signal group I am part of with some of my best friends and Fr. Jeff started to blow up. After our initial excitement, we deferred to our priest as he took us through the proceedings, provided us background on Pope Leo, and offered his observations about the new pope’s initial choices and preferences (name, speech, clothing, etc.). It was enlightening and very much appreciated.

Pope Leo XIV made a great impression when he addressed the faithful who packed St. Peter Square.

But can I make a confession (pun intended)? Although I was so excited about the selection of Pope Leo XIV, I think I walked away from last week feeling even better about the way that Catholicism was truthfully and elegantly presented. Every single news station and media organization devoted wall-to-wall coverage of the conclave. And what did you see?…

You saw the true global reach of the Church. You marveled at the thousands upon thousands of devout people who filled St. Peter’s Square. You were touched by the joyous live reactions inside Catholic school classrooms when Pope Leo XIV was announced. You observed a diverse College of Cardinals comprised of holy clergy members from all corners of the earth. You sensed…perhaps even boldly felt…the billions of prayers being lifted up for Pope Leo and the Church in general. You were awed by the authentic faith in Christ that was on constant display.

What you saw was a large, passionate, faithful Church. It was simply a profound week for the 1.4 billion Catholics in the world—this blogger included.

As the papacy of Pope Leo XIV begins in earnest, let us pray for holy and humble leadership that leads us all closer to Jesus Christ. Don’t Blink.