MADISON, Wis. — The Bishop of the Madison Catholic Diocese reacted to the appointment of the first American cardinal as pope Thursday.
“Complete surprise,” said Bishop Donald Hying, describing when he first heard the news. “Yeah, I would never have thought that. You can never say never, obviously, but I wouldn’t have thought that cardinals in the United States would be our Holy Father.”
Despite the initial shock, Hying said he’s thrilled. He said he hopes this historic decision will energize Catholicism in America.
“We would like to hope that it would certainly generate greater interest in the priesthood in young Catholics here in our own country, saying we feel this deep connection now to the Holy Father through that common bond,” Hying said.
The bishop said he hopes the new leader of the Catholic Church continues the progressive missionary work Pope Francis started. It was Pope Francis who appointed Pope Leo XIV as a cardinal.
“Every papacy is going to be in some ways a continuation of the foundation that has been laid by previous pontiffs,” Hying said. “On the other hand, there’s always going to be points of difference. He’s going to bring his experience, his personality, perhaps his vision, always in line with the church’s vision.”
Hying also acknowledges that he hopes more work is done to try and right the wrong of past clergy sexual misconduct.
“The church has been dealing with and has certainly implemented many appropriate safeguards,” he said. “But continued vigilance on that front would be a necessary and helpful aspect of a new papacy as well.”
The bishop said he was looking forward to reading some of Pope Leo XIV’s first writings, as well as hearing the message shared in his first mass as pope.
