Not only is the new pope the first from the United States — he has ties to Tulsa as well.
Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago was elected the next pontiff on Thursday and will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
At a news conference Thursday, Father Philip Cook of Cascia Hall said Prevost served as the provincial superior of the Augustinians’ midwest region. This role put him on the school’s board of directors.
"He was down at Cascia for meetings numerous times between 1999 and 2001 during his term as provincial and was instrumental in bringing that global perspective that we cherish as an international religious order within the Catholic Church," said Cook.
Brother Jack Hibbard, the Prior of Tulsa’s Augustinian community, knows the new pope even more intimately. Hibbard says he and the pontiff went to grammar school together in the Chicago area.
"He’s a wonderful man," Hibbard said. "Very kind, very caring, gentle, listens, doesn’t jump to conclusions. I think he’s going to be awesome in this position as pope, and hopefully see the church move on to where it needs to go to today."
Hibbard says he hopes the new pope “moves in the spirit” of the late Pope Francis, who was known for his inclusivity and his empathy for the poor and refugees.
