Chicago area reacts to new pope — ‘Everything dope, including the pope, comes from Chicago!’

Chicago-area Catholics are celebrating the news that South Side-born Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the first U.S.-born Pope.

Dawn Ribnek, a Catholic born and raised in Chicago, made a pilgrimage to suburban Dolton to visit the pope’s childhood home to honor him.

“When I heard the news that our new pope Leo was elected and he was from Chicago … I was excited, but I also feel, as a Chicago born-and-raised Catholic, that I have a real duty to pray for him,” Ribnek told the Sun-Times, “and I figured what better place to pray for the pope than his birthplace home.”

Here are other reactions from Chicagoans on the new pope:

“The Pope is from Chicago. This is one of the biggest moments in the modern history of our city. Pope Leo XIV will be a champion for workers all over the world. It’s only right that he was born and educated in the most pro-worker city in America. The Catholic Church has a strong tradition of standing up for the poor and the vulnerable, and I know that Pope Leo XIV will continue that tradition. This is a tremendous moment for our Catholic community and for all Chicagoans. God bless Chicago. God bless Pope Leo XIV.”

— Mayor Brandon Johnson

“We didn’t expect the pope to get elected. We were just so excited, it was such a surprise.”

— Matthew Naglak, sixth grader at Holy Name Cathedral for class field trip

“They keep telling us ‘This is historic, this is the best field trip ever, I’m so happy we’re here. I’m sure they will never forget this moment.”

— Maggie Reznicek, sixth grade teacher

“It is thrilling to have the first pope from the United States, Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost. This is a historic day. Robert Francis Prevost was a favorite of Pope Francis, who made him cardinal only two years ago. The new pope’s namesake, Leo XIII, was known for his outspoken defense of the rights of working people to a living wage. By taking this name, Pope Leo XIV clearly signals his priorities.”

— Robert Orsi, professor of religion at Northwestern University

“I turned on my TV, and all my staff came here and we all watched and waited…and everybody’s reaction was: ‘An American?!’ So I’m excited. I’m excited because, you know, this guy was a parish priest in Peru, he comes from Chicago, was raised in South Holland, he went to the CTU in Hyde Park.”

— Father Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Church

“So I found myself in Rome on vacation, and I thought I owed it to my Catholic friends to at least attempt to make it to Vatican City today, just in case I saw some type of smoke … The tour guide that I had a couple days ago messaged me mid speech of the pope, and he was like, he’s from Chicago, just like you. And that’s kind of when I when I realized exactly who and where this pope is from. So it was just, overall, such a wonderful experience. And it was, it was, I think the thing it reminds me of is, honestly, like the 2008 Obama election in Chicago and just everyone kind of moving together in an excited fashion, a peaceful type of gathering excitement.”

— Sabeen Shamsi, of Darien

“It’s pretty cool in general … Illinois is the only state and Chicago is the only [American] city to ever have a pope. I’m sure Peru feels the same way considering he spent a lot of time there.”

— Sean Garvey, 26, of the Gold Coast

“Looking at the state of the church in America, I think having a pope from the United States…I’m sure we will experience growth in the United States and in the nation.”

— Reverend Gosbert Rwezahura, pastor of Christ Our Savior Catholic Church

“I’m just excited. I got more excited when I found out he was from here, to be honest…when he’s from the area you’re from and so familiar with, it’s just, it has a totally different feeling.”

— Bob Gorman, of Dolton

“We are children of God first and foremost. While there’s a sense that we’re proud he’s from Chicago, we’re proud that this is the first pope from the United States of America. Of course that’s a sense of pride, but Pope Leo XIV is a child of God first and that means he is here to serve all of God’s people.”

— Bishop Lawrence Sullivan, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago