Bishop Steven J. Raica, head of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, reacted to the election of the first U.S.-born pope, calling it a surprise gift of a shepherd through a time of global uncertainty.

“With profound joy and heartfelt gratitude, we welcome the joyful news of the election of His Eminence Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, O.S.A., as the new Bishop of Rome—our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV,” Raica said in a released statement. “It is, indeed, a surprise, one filled with grace. The Holy Spirit has once again stirred the Church in a remarkable way, gifting us with a new Supreme Pontiff to shepherd God’s people during this time of global uncertainty into a future filled with hope and truth.”

EWTN Global Catholic Network, founded by Mother Angelica and headquartered in Irondale in the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, will be an important vessel of information about the new papacy as the largest Catholic TV network in the world.

EWTN CEO Mike Warsaw released a statement reacting to the new pope, considered the 267th in church history, starting from St. Peter, named by Jesus to lead the Christian church and considered the first pope by Catholics.

“It is with great joy that I welcome the election of Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV,” Warsaw said. “The election of a new pope is always an historic moment in the life of the Church, but the election of the first American-born Pope is particularly momentous. The new Holy Father carries with him enormous experience as a missionary priest and bishop which no doubt will help to shape his ministry as the 266th successor of Saint Peter. On behalf of the global EWTN Family, I want to assure Pope Leo of our prayers as he begins his service to the universal Church.”

Raica reflected further on the new pope’s setting a tone of unity for the church.

“In his first greeting to the Church and to the world, Pope Leo XIV offered the words of the Risen Christ: ‘Peace be with you,’” Raica said. “These are not simply words of comfort; they are a commission. Just as Christ breathed peace upon His disciples and sent them forth, our new pope comes to us as a bridge-builder (pontifex), a messenger of reconciliation in a world so deeply divided and in need of healing. His voice, echoing the Risen Christ, now becomes a point of unity for the global Church and a moral compass for the wider world.

“The name he has chosen—Leo—calls to mind strength, courage, and steadfastness. The last Pontiff to bear this name, Pope Leo XIII, gave the Church the encyclical Rerum Novarum, the foundational text of modern Catholic Social Teaching during the Industrial Revolution. In this same spirit, Pope Leo XIV ascends to the Chair of Peter not only as a successor of the apostles, but also as a successor of courageous advocacy by his predecessors, especially for the dignity of the human person, for workers, for the poor, and for justice.

“As an Augustinian, our new Holy Father brings the deep spiritual wisdom of St. Augustine—his love for truth, his restless search for God, and his profound understanding of grace. As a missionary bishop in Peru, he has walked alongside the poor, learned from the humble, and witnessed firsthand the hope that blossoms even in the most forgotten corners of the world.

“The Church desires in her pope what every disciple of Christ longs for: one who boldly proclaims the Resurrection, who pastors the flock with compassion and strength, who teaches the Gospel with clarity, and who leads us ever more deeply into the mystery of God through the sacraments.

“Here in the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama, we offer Pope Leo XIV our warmest welcome, our filial devotion, and, most importantly, our prayers for the fruitfulness of his Petrine ministry. We pray that the Lord may bless him with wisdom like Solomon’s, courage like Leo’s, and the heart of a shepherd after God’s own heart. May he lead us ever more faithfully toward Christ, the Good Shepherd, Whose peace he now bears to the whole world. Ad multos annos, Pope Leo XIV!”

The Friday mid-day Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham was dedicated to prayer and thanksgiving for the new pope.