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At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New Yorkers celebrate the first American pope
By
Arun Venugopal
and
Samantha Max
Published May 8, 2025
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Arun Venugopal/Gothamist
By
Arun Venugopal
and
Samantha Max
Published May 8, 2025
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New Yorkers and tourists flocked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, the first American pope.
Prevost, 69, who took the name Pope Leo XIV, addressed a cheering crowd outside St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after white smoke billowed from a chimney over the Sistine Chapel, signaling to the world that a new pope had been selected.
“Really promising, I think, that we have an American pope — an America-first pope,” said Jennifer Kelly, who was among throngs of the faithful and the curious who descended upon the cathedral in Midtown when the church bells rang.
Kelly, who grew up Southern Baptist and became Catholic as an adult, ran over with her dog, joined by a growing crowd. Kelly said Prevost’s selection made her feel “proud to be an American and proud to be Catholic.”
“People talk so much about the decline of Catholicism or the decline of Christianity,” she said. “To see the excitement around this is, I think, exciting.”
The scene outside St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on Thursday.
Arun Venugopal/Gothamist
Abby Maddaluna and Maggie Walsh work around the corner from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Maddaluna said they “got up and ran” when they heard the announcement.
“It’s a monumental moment,” Walsh said.
Catherine Magyera was visiting from the Catskills when she heard there was a new pope and rushed to the church. She said she was touched by the pope’s repeated mentions of unity in his first speech.
Stefan Wolansky, who was also visiting from the Catskills, compared the experience to the solar eclipse.
“This only happens so many times,” he said. “This is such a moment for Catholics and really people around the world to get together and chart a beautiful new future together.”
The fact that the pope is American, he added with a laugh, is “just cool.”
Abby Maddaluna and Maggie Walsh outside St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on Thursday.
Arun Venugopal/Gothamist
Irish couple Marie Brennan and Wesley Walsh were passing through New York on their way back from a cruise and stopped at the cathedral to light a candle for Pope Leo XIV. Walsh said it was “refreshing” to have a pope from this side of the Atlantic.
“The future’s looking good, bright,” he said.
Brennan said she didn’t expect the new pope to be an American. But she said she was “delighted” for American Catholics.
“Hopefully he’ll do good work and he’ll bring the whole world back together again,” she said. “God bless him.”
The scene at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday.
Arun Venugopal/Gothamist
Gov. Kathy Hochul congratulated Pope Leo XIV on social media.
“The prayers of millions of Catholics around the globe are with you to guide the church forward and be a strong champion for compassion and dignity,” she said.
Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that by choosing an American pope, “the Vatican has uplifted the voices of Catholics across the five boroughs and our entire country.”
“I know that many — including myself — will look to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for leadership and inspiration,” Adams said. “I know that I join people of faith from all around the world today in praying for the Pope.”
New Yorkers can look to the heavens for another tribute to the first American pope: lights on the Empire State Building will shine in gold and white**,** Empire State Realty Trust announced.
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Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
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Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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