The organizer of a recent Catholic pilgrimage from the Virgin Islands to Rome spoke with hope on Thursday as word traveled about the selection of a new pope. Speaking from St. Croix, the Very Rev. Andrea Filippucci called the choice of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost “a very exciting time for the church.”
A conclave of Catholic cardinals spent a day and a half considering their choice and, by late Thursday, chose a Chicago-born missionary who spent the past eight years serving in Peru. “ … this one is the first U.S.-born pope … Everybody is trying to figure out who he is. He’s not a liberal. He is not a traditionalist. He is very reserved; he is a man of God,” Filippucci said.
From St. Croix, Filippucci helped organize Pilgrims of Hope, a journey by V.I. Catholics to Rome from April 21 to April 30. The pilgrimage was arranged as part of a yearlong jubilee declared by Pope Francis, but the pontiff died on the day the pilgrims set out on their journey.
“We got to see his body; we were among the first people to enter the basilica, and see his body and pray for the pope,” the priest said.
Last rites for Pope Francis were held as the Virgin Islanders continued with their scheduled visits and pilgrimage tours. They returned to the territory May 1.
Since the announcement of Cardinal Prevost’s elevation to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, Filippucci says he had heard from some of his fellow travelers who joined the April pilgrimage.
“They say I can’t believe that we were just there two weeks ago. Many of them say they feel closer to the pope now; before, he was just a concept, but now they have been there. They have stepped on the stones,” Fr. Andrea said.
Former Catholic bishop of St. Thomas, now Cardinal Sean O’Malley, also shared his thoughts on the choice of Prevost, who chose the name Pope Leo XIV.
“Pope Leo XIV has chosen a name widely associated with the social justice legacy of Pope Leo XIII, who was pontiff at a time of epic upheaval in the world, the time of the industrial revolution, the beginning of Marxism, and widespread immigration. The new Pope’s rich pastoral experience in Latin America and as leader of an international religious community, and the years spent in Rome, will all provide valuable preparation for his new ministry as Pope,” O’Malley said in his May 8 blog post.
O’Malley served as Catholic bishop of St. Thomas from 1992 to 2002.
