“I regard this man [Pope Leo XIV] as a friend, and I know him to be someone who is at home in any company, even though I am pretty sure he prefers the company of the poor,” said Augustinian Fr Noel Hession, PP Ballyboden Parish.
Fr Hession said the Irish Augustinians know the Pope as ‘Bob’, and it might take some time to get used to calling him ‘Leo’. “I suspect Augustinians all over the world, suddenly felt an immediacy, a closeness and a sense of joy that we could never have imagined. This man, known to all of us personally, our brother, is now our Pope. I know that I found myself experiencing a whole pile of emotions at the same time.
“Joy, excitement, hope, and even fear. Joy, excitement, and hope, because I know this man, and I believe that in choosing him, the assembled cardinals in the conclave have given a great gift to the Church. Fear, because I know this man, and like you, I am aware of the great task that lies before him.”
Pope Leo was in Ireland at least twice, Fr Hession said. “He’s a very ordinary man with an extraordinary sense of people. He is a gentle man, but never afraid to deal with problems. He’s a wise and highly intelligent man who displays great humility and simplicity. And very importantly, he has a great sense of humour, which he’s going to need.”
The priest said that many were wondering if the Pope would move into the papal apartments or live in Casa Santa Marta. For Fr Hession, “It doesn’t really matter where the Pope sleeps. It’s much more important what he does when he’s awake.”
“He’s a man who’s not interested in running the Church. He’s a man who wants to be Church with us. And that means that we must be Church with him,” Fr Hession said.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the priest said, as Augustinians “we’re very proud of him and we’re very pleased. Personally, I think he’s a very good choice… He’s a very capable man. He’s a very strong pastoral sense… I would regard him as very people-centred.”
Fr Kieran O’Mahony, also an Augustinian, had lunch with the then cardinal last November, and echoing Fr Hession’s words said that his experience “Cardinal Bob was the same as always, in spite of his new responsibilities both as cardinal and head of the office for choosing bishops.”
Fr O’Mahony said “the new Pope is modest and super calm, with a great smile. And when he smiles, you know it is from the inside, because the eyes light up.”
“I was in the St Peter’s Square when the new Holy Father was announced and named,” Fr O’Mahony said. “Straightaway, I knew it was our brother, Robert Prevost and I’m not ashamed to say I felt a surge of emotion, which took me by surprise.
“The new Holy Father seemed to me at ease, even smiling gently, with his new calling, a little nervous but actually happy. This is as it should be: a ‘yes’ to God’s call should also be a happy, quietly joy-filled experience, in spite of all the real challenges.”
The Augustinians were not the only ones rejoicing with the new pope. Redemptoristine Nun responsible for communication in the Monastery in Drumcondra, Sr Angela said they “welcome with great joy our new Pope… I am deeply struck by something his brother shared in a video interview,” the nun said, “he [the Pope] never wanted to be bishop or cardinal but to remain a missionary. I hope he will carry that spirit into his papacy.”
The Redemptoristine Prioress, Sr Gabrielle said her “hope is that Pope Leo will remind all people of our call to deep personal union with God. Reminding us like St Augustine that ‘God is closer to us than we are to our very selves.’”
Sr Mary Brigeen, communications liason for the Carmelite Monastery of St Joseph in Kilmacud said they were “united in giving thanks for our new Pope Leo.”
Bishop Michael Duignan welcomed “with great joy” the election of Pope Leo. As the Pontifex “may he be a source of unity and harmony not just for people of faith but for all people of good will.”
Trócaire CEO, Caoimhe de Barra said, “We pray that Pope Leo continues the extraordinary work of Pope Francis in calling out the injustices perpetrated against the most vulnerable and in highlighting the need for the protection of the environment for the common good of all. This work is more important now more than ever with conflict affecting so many regions and climate change driving millions of people further into poverty.”
Around the world, people are also celebrating. The Prior General of the Augustinians worldwide, Alejandro Moral Anton, sees the papal election of Robert Francis Prevost as a “gift for the Church”. He told Vatican News that “he is a balanced, spiritual person who is close to everyone.”
The Prior emphasised that Leo XIV “loves everyone, both the poor and the rich”. In his first speech, the new Pope immediately addressed topics such as justice and peace, the need for bridges between all and synodality in the Church.
Fr O’Mahony said that in his mention of synodality, Pope Leo “brings to that new way of being Church his own experience as a religious, an Augustinian friar, as well as his time as a missionary and bishop in Peru.”
