RICHMOND, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Catholic Diocese of Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout will host a celebration mass at noon today in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond for new Pope Leo XIV. In his statement, Bishop Knestout says his initial reaction, like many, was “joyful astonishment” when HE heard Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native, was elected as pope. He continues that he echoes the new pope’s “greeting of peace to enter your hearts”. The full statement is below:

“Along with the faithful of the Diocese of Richmond, I rejoice in thanksgiving at the announcement of our new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope to be elected. Like many, my initial reaction was one of joyful astonishment when I heard the cardinal protodeacon announce that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native, was elected as the 267th pope to lead our Church.

In his first remarks as pope, our new Holy Father said, “Peace be with you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the flock of God. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are, and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.

The Church is currently celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope, and in a world full of conflict and anxieties which cause many to despair, the election of a new pope whose first words bestow the peace of Christ on the world is an occasion for renewed hope in the Church established by Christ. Let us fervently pray for our new Holy Father, that the Holy Spirit inspires and guides him in shepherding the flock entrusted to him, and that his pontificate will be one that truly inspires in the world the peace and justice that can only be found in Christ Jesus.”

Virginia’s junior U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, who went to a Jesuit high school in Kansas City and served as a missionary in Honduras afterward, called yesterday “a good news day for the Church”, and “choosing the name Leo XIV sends a strong message that this is going to be a pope who will continue Pope Francis’ focus on the needs of the least of these and the dignity of each person.”

“I look forward to continuing my own Catholic journey under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV.”