RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov pounced on a loose faceoff puck for his sixth postseason goal while Frederik Andersen had 21 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Svechnikov sprang into the circle to beat John Carlson to the puck and beat Logan Thompson at 12:34 of the second for the game’s first goal in what turned out to be the start of Carolina’s game-seizing surge.
Jack Roslovic added a power-play goal late in the second period for the Hurricanes, while Eric Robinson charged up the left side to beat Thompson early in the third to make it 3-0.
Jackson Blake added a clinching power-play finish near the post late as the Hurricanes improved to 4-0 at home in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes dominated play in the series opener but needed Jaccob Slavin’s overtime goal to push through on the road. The Capitals did a better job of countering in Game 2 and tied the series behind a strong two-way effort from Tom Wilson.
The Capitals seemingly had reversed the script on Carolina with a strong start, which included Andersen having to stand up to an immediate skating-in chance by Wilson and an early shot from Taylor Raddysh while the Hurricanes struggled to get on their aggressive game.
And Andersen was strong throughout — carrying the load until the Hurricanes finally asserted control once Svechnikov broke the scoreless tie. In fact, Washington managed just one shot through 14 critical minutes of the second, spanning Svechnikov’s score and before to Roslovic’s man-advantage finish.
Thompson finished with 24 saves for Washington, while the Capitals managed just 10 shots in the final 39+ minutes.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night in Raleigh.
1 cup yellow and/or red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Italian blend cheese
Salt
1 cup arugula or baby spinach leaves
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Directions
Combine pesto and lemon juice in small bowl. Evenly brush beef steak with 1 tablespoon pesto mixture.
Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 11 to 15 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 13 to 16 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 10 x 15-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place dough on baking sheet and pat dough to edges of baking sheet. Spread dough with remaining 3 tablespoons pesto mixture. Top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake in 425°F oven, 15 to 18 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Carve steak into slices; season with salt, if desired. Top pizza evenly with arugula and steak slices; sprinkle with red pepper, as desired.
1/2 cup cooked Smoked Beef Brisket, chopped, divided
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon water
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Directions
Prepare 2 tablespoons brisket; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, water and garlic salt until smooth. Stir in remaining brisket and jalapeno.
Divide mixture evenly and spoon into egg whites. Top with brisket and sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. (Mix it up! Use pickled red onion or pickle relish as a colorful garnish.)
MORRISVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes dominated play for one road game then spent significant stretches of the next controlling the flow of action. It was a two-game start good enough to take home-ice advantage away from the Washington Capitals in their second-round playoff series.
“I’ve liked how we’ve played,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said Friday.
Now the Hurricanes are set to host the Capitals for Game 3 on Saturday, the winner taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. That’s one of two Game 3s in the NHL on the schedule, the other being Edmonton returning home with a chance to take a 3-0 series lead on Vegas.
Carolina won 2-1 in overtime to open the Eastern Conference series, though it took the Hurricanes well into the third period to beat Logan Thompson for the first time on a night when they otherwise dominated play. The Hurricanes kept firing shots and using the forecheck to aggressively keep the pressure on in the offensive zone, finishing with a 33-14 edge in shots on goal, as well as scoring chances (40-20) and high-danger chances (19-13) according to Natural Stat Trick.
“I have a lot of belief in our group and I feel like Game 1 to Game 2 and significant parts of Game 2, you can see us getting to the level that we’re going to need to play at,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said, “and it’s going to even get a little bit more difficult going on the road.”
Now the series shifts to Raleigh, where the Hurricanes won all three of their games in the first-round win against New Jersey. Carolina will have the backing of a raucous home crowd and the benefit of last change when it comes to sending out lineups after the whistle to hunt for the best matchup.
“Matchups play a role, a significant role in the series, and it’s our job to navigate it and whether we get the last change or not and the things that I can do to manipulate some of the matchups,” Carbery said.
For the Hurricanes, the goal is to convert more of those steady streams of shots into scores. Carolina ranked second in the league during the regular season by averaging 31.68 shots compared to Washington ranking 22nd at 27.62. After getting that big edge in Game 1, it was much tighter (28-21) for Carolina in Game 2, though the Hurricanes turned up the pressure with a 17-7 edge in third-period shots.
Despite all of that, the Hurricanes have the same number of 5-on-5 goals as the Capitals so far (two).
“Obviously last night I think we could’ve been a little better,” said Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who had the Hurricanes lone Game 2 goal on the power play. “Credit to them, they played a better game for sure. I think for us it’s just getting back to it. We know what type of game we play, everyone does, and we’re just going to keep doing it.”
Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Saturday, 9 p.m. EDT (TNT, truTV)
Series: Oilers lead 2-0.
Edmonton’s Calvin Pickard has been a journeyman goalie and Adin Hill — though not considered a Vezina Trophy-type of goaltender — helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup two years ago.
But through two games, Pickard has had the upper hand.
“It’s not too often after a game where a goalie lets in four goals that you’re raving about how well he played,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He stole one for us. If you’re going to have a long run in the playoffs, you’re going to need games once in a while from your goalie to play like that and steal one.”
Pickard was instrumental in helping the Oilers come back from 2-0 down to Los Angeles in the first round and win four consecutive games.
Hill’s postseason has been more uneven.
He began slowly in the first-round series against Minnesota and finished strong. The Golden Knights will need him to again after he gave two soft goals in a three-goal second period in Game 2.
“There’s positions and areas of the game you’ve got to outplay them,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s going to have to do that at some point.”
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington and AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
MORRISVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes dominated play for one road game then spent significant stretches of the next controlling the flow of action. It was a two-game start good enough to take home-ice advantage away from the Washington Capitals in their second-round playoff series.
“I’ve liked how we’ve played,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said Friday.
Now the Hurricanes are set to host the Capitals for Game 3 on Saturday, the winner taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. That’s one of two Game 3s in the NHL on the schedule, the other being Edmonton returning home with a chance to take a 3-0 series lead on Vegas.
Carolina won 2-1 in overtime to open the Eastern Conference series, though it took the Hurricanes well into the third period to beat Logan Thompson for the first time on a night when they otherwise dominated play. The Hurricanes kept firing shots and using the forecheck to aggressively keep the pressure on in the offensive zone, finishing with a 33-14 edge in shots on goal, as well as scoring chances (40-20) and high-danger chances (19-13) according to Natural Stat Trick.
“I have a lot of belief in our group and I feel like Game 1 to Game 2 and significant parts of Game 2, you can see us getting to the level that we’re going to need to play at,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said, “and it’s going to even get a little bit more difficult going on the road.”
Now the series shifts to Raleigh, where the Hurricanes won all three of their games in the first-round win against New Jersey. Carolina will have the backing of a raucous home crowd and the benefit of last change when it comes to sending out lineups after the whistle to hunt for the best matchup.
“Matchups play a role, a significant role in the series, and it’s our job to navigate it and whether we get the last change or not and the things that I can do to manipulate some of the matchups,” Carbery said.
For the Hurricanes, the goal is to convert more of those steady streams of shots into scores. Carolina ranked second in the league during the regular season by averaging 31.68 shots compared to Washington ranking 22nd at 27.62. After getting that big edge in Game 1, it was much tighter (28-21) for Carolina in Game 2, though the Hurricanes turned up the pressure with a 17-7 edge in third-period shots.
Despite all of that, the Hurricanes have the same number of 5-on-5 goals as the Capitals so far (two).
“Obviously last night I think we could’ve been a little better,” said Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who had the Hurricanes lone Game 2 goal on the power play. “Credit to them, they played a better game for sure. I think for us it’s just getting back to it. We know what type of game we play, everyone does, and we’re just going to keep doing it.”
Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, Saturday, 9 p.m. EDT (TNT, truTV)
Series: Oilers lead 2-0.
Edmonton’s Calvin Pickard has been a journeyman goalie and Adin Hill — though not considered a Vezina Trophy-type of goaltender — helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup two years ago.
But through two games, Pickard has had the upper hand.
“It’s not too often after a game where a goalie lets in four goals that you’re raving about how well he played,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He stole one for us. If you’re going to have a long run in the playoffs, you’re going to need games once in a while from your goalie to play like that and steal one.”
Pickard was instrumental in helping the Oilers come back from 2-0 down to Los Angeles in the first round and win four consecutive games.
Hill’s postseason has been more uneven.
He began slowly in the first-round series against Minnesota and finished strong. The Golden Knights will need him to again after he gave two soft goals in a three-goal second period in Game 2.
“There’s positions and areas of the game you’ve got to outplay them,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s going to have to do that at some point.”
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington and AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, the ascetic bachelor and New Hampshire Republican who became a darling of liberals during his nearly 20 years on the bench, has died. He was 85.
Souter died Thursday at his home in New Hampshire, the court said in a statement Friday.
He retired from the court in June 2009, giving President Barack Obama his first Supreme Court vacancy to fill. Obama, a Democrat, chose Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina justice.
Souter was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1990. He was a reliably liberal vote on abortion, church-state relations, freedom of expression and the accessibility of federal courts. Souter also dissented from the decision in Bush v. Gore in 2000, which effectively handed the presidency to George W. Bush, the son of the man who put him on the high court.
In retirement, Souter warned that ignorance of how government works could undermine American democracy.
“What I worry about is that when problems are not addressed, people will not know who is responsible. And when the problems get bad enough … some one person will come forward and say, ‘Give me total power and I will solve this problem.’ That is how the Roman republic fell,” Souter said in a 2012 interview.
His lifestyle was spare — yogurt and an apple, consumed at his desk, was a typical lunch — and he shunned Washington’s social scene. He couldn’t wait to leave town in early summer. As soon as the court finished its work in late June, he climbed into his Volkswagen Jetta for the drive back to the worn farmhouse where his family moved when he was 11.
Yet for all his reserve, Souter was beloved by colleagues, court employees and friends. He was a noted storyteller and generous with his time.
“Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service,” Chief Justice John Roberts said. Souter continued hearing cases on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for more than a decade after he left the high court, Roberts said.
When Bush plucked Souter from obscurity in 1990, liberal interest groups feared he would be the vote that would undo the court’s Roe v. Wade ruling in favor of abortion rights. He was called a stealth nominee by some.
Bush White House aide John Sununu, the former conservative governor of New Hampshire, hailed his choice as a “home run.” And early in his time in Washington, Souter was called a moderate conservative.
But he soon joined in a ruling reaffirming woman’s right to an abortion, a decision from 1992 that is his most noted work on the court. Thirty years later, a more conservative court overturned that decision and the constitutional right to abortion.
Souter asked precise questions during argument sessions, sometimes with a fierceness that belied his low-key manner. “He had an unerring knack of finding the weakest link in your argument,” veteran Supreme Court advocate Carter Phillips said.
Souter was history’s 105th Supreme Court justice and only its sixth bachelor.
Although hailed by The Washington Post as the capital city’s most prominently eligible single man when he moved from New Hampshire, Souter resolutely resisted the social whirl.
“I wasn’t that kind of person before I moved to Washington, and, at this age, I don’t see any reason to change,” the intensely private Souter told an acquaintance.
He worked seven days a week through most of the court’s term from October to early summer, staying at his Supreme Court office for more than 12 hours a day. He said he underwent an annual “intellectual lobotomy” at the start of each term because he had so little time to read for pleasure.
Souter rented an apartment a few miles from the court and jogged alone at Fort McNair, an Army installation near his apartment building. He was once mugged while on a run, an apparently random act.
Souter returned to his well-worn house in Weare, New Hampshire, for a few months each summer and was given the use of an office in a Concord courthouse.
An avid hiker, Souter spent much of his time away from work trekking through the New Hampshire mountains.
When Souter in 2005 joined an unpopular 5-4 decision on eminent domain allowing a Connecticut city to take several waterfront homes for a private development, a group angered by the decision tried to use it to evict him from his Weare farmhouse to make way for the “Lost Liberty Hotel.” But Weare residents rejected the proposal.
Shortly after his retirement, Souter bought a 3,500-square-foot Cape Cod-style home in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. It was reported, though perhaps it was just part of Souter’s lore, that he worried that the foundation of the house in Weare would give way under the weight of all the books he owned.
Souter had been a federal appellate judge for just over four months when picked for the high court. He had heard but one case as a federal judge, and as a state judge previously had little chance to rule on constitutional issues.
Though liberals were initially wary of his appointment, it was political conservatives who felt betrayed when in two 1992 rulings Souter helped forge a moderate-liberal coalition that reaffirmed the constitutional right of abortion and the court’s longtime ban on officially sponsored prayers in public schools.
Yet as Souter biographer Tinsley Yarbrough noted, the justice did not take “extreme positions.”
Indeed, in June 2008, Souter sided with Exxon Mobil Corp. and broke with his liberal colleagues in slashing the punitive damages the company owed Alaskan victims of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Before serving as a New Hampshire judge, Souter was his state’s attorney general for two years. He worked on the attorney general’s staff the eight previous years, after a brief stint in private practice.
Souter earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University, and a master’s degree from Oxford as a Rhodes scholar Washington, D.C.
___
Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack contributed to this report from Concord, New Hampshire.
NEW LENOX, Ill. (AP) — When white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel revealing that a new pope had been chosen, John Prevost turned on his television in Illinois, called his niece and they watched in awe as his brother’s name was announced.
“She started screaming because it was her uncle and I was in the moment of disbelief that this cannot be possible because it’s too far from what we thought would happen,” Prevost said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press from his home in New Lenox, Illinois.
Next, he said he felt an intense sense of pride that his brother, Cardinal Robert Prevost, had become the 267th pontiff to lead the Catholic Church, making the Chicago-born missionary the first U.S. pope.
John Prevost says he felt ‘disbelief’ when his brother, Robert Prevost, was named pope on Thursday. He says the new Pope Leo XIV is very concerned for the poor and those who don’t have a voice. He said he expects his younger brother to be a “second Pope Francis.” (AP Video)
“It’s quite an honor; it’s quite a once in a lifetime,” he said. “But I think it’s quite a responsibility and I think it’s going to lead to bigger and better things, but I think people are going to watch him very closely to see what he’s doing.”
Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order who spent his career ministering in Peru, took the name Leo XIV.
John Prevost described his brother as being very concerned for the poor and those who don’t have a voice. He said he expects him to be a “second Pope Francis.”
“He’s not going to be real far left and he’s not going to be real far right,” he added. “Kind of right down the middle.”
At one point during the interview, John Prevost realized he had missed several calls from his brother, so he gave the new pope a call back.
Leo told him he wasn’t interested in being part of the interview and after a brief message of congratulations and discussion in which they talked like any two brothers about travel arrangements, they hung up.
The new pope grew up the youngest of three boys. John Prevost, who was only a year older than him, said he remembers Robert Prevost being very good in school as a kid and enjoying playing tag, Monopoly and Risk.
From a young age, he said he knew his brother was going to be a priest. Although he didn’t expect him to become pope, he recalled a neighbor predicting that very thing when Robert Prevost was only a first grader.
“She sensed that at 6 years old,” he said. “How she did that, who knows. It took this long, but here he is, first American pope.”
When Robert Prevost graduated eighth grade, he left for seminary school, his brother said.
“There’s a whole period there where we didn’t really grow up together,” he said. “It was just on vacations that we had contact together.”
These days, the brothers talk on the phone every day, John Prevost said. Robert Prevost will call him and they’ll discuss everything from politics to religion and even play the day’s Wordle.
John Prevost said he’s not sure how much time his brother will have to talk as the new pope and how they’ll handle staying in touch in the future.
“It’s already strange not having someone to talk to,” he said.
1 can (10 ounces each) red enchilada sauce, divided
1 egg
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chilies
1-1/2 teaspoons ground guajillo chiles
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Measure 3/4 cup enchilada sauce into small bowl; set aside. Add remaining enchilada sauce, Ground Beef, egg, bell pepper, onion, ketchup, cheese, masa, black pepper, remaining spices, pepper sauce and salt; mix thoroughly but lightly.
Shape beef mixture and place into 8 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan. Bake in 350°F oven 40 minutes. Spread reserved enchilada sauce over meatloaf. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 160°F. (Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.)
Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into slices and serve.
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Pictures from Five Freedoms Photography and other volunteers.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Catholic cardinals broke with tradition Thursday and elected the first U.S. pope, making Chicago-born missionary Robert Prevost the 267th pontiff to lead the Catholic Church in a moment of global turmoil and conflict.
Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order who spent his career ministering in Peru, took the name Leo XIV.
In his first words as Pope Francis’ successor, uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of “a disarmed and disarming peace” dialogue and missionary evangelization.
He wore the traditional red cape and trappings of the papacy — a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013 — suggesting a return to some degree of tradition after Francis’ unorthodox pontificate. But in naming himself Leo, the new pope could also have wanted to signal a strong line of continuity: Brother Leo was the 13th century friar who was a great companion to St. Francis of Assisi, the late pope’s namesake.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV (AP Video)
“Together, we must try to find out how to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogue, that’s always open to receive — like on this piazza with open arms — to be able to receive everybody that needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love,” Leo said in near-perfect Italian.
Prevost had been a leading candidate for the papacy, but there had long been a taboo against a U.S. pope, given the geopolitical power the country already wields. But Prevost was seemingly eligible because he’s also a Peruvian citizen and had lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as bishop, and cardinals may have thought the 21st century world order could handle a U.S.-born pope.
Francis, history’s first Latin American pope, clearly had his eye on Prevost and in many ways saw him as his heir apparent. He sent Prevost to take over a complicated diocese in Peru, then brought him to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. Earlier this year, Francis elevated Prevost into the senior ranks of cardinals, giving him prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals had.
Since arriving in Rome, Prevost has kept a low public profile but was well-known to the men who count. Significantly, he presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms Francis made, when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope.
Celebrating the new pope
The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers Thursday when white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel shortly after 6 p.m. on the second day of the conclave, the most geographically diverse in history. Priests made the sign of the cross and nuns wept as the crowd shouted, “Viva il papa!”
Waving flags from around the world, tens of thousands of people waited for more than an hour to learn who had won and were surprised an hour later, when the senior cardinal deacon appeared on the loggia, said “Habemus Papam!” — “We have a pope!” in Latin — and announced the winner was Prevost.
He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English, honoring Pope Francis and his final salute to the crowd on Easter Sunday.
“Greetings … to all of you, and in particular, to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith,” he said in Spanish.
U.S. President Donald Trump said it was “such an honor for our country” for the new pope to be American.
“What greater honor can there be?” he said. The president added that “we’re a little bit surprised and we’re happy.”
The last pope to take the name Leo was Leo XIII, an Italian who led the church from 1878 to 1903. That Leo softened the church’s confrontational stance toward modernity, especially science and politics and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought. His most famous encyclical, Rerum Novarum of 1891, addressed workers’ rights and capitalism at the beginning of the industrial revolution and was highlighted by the Vatican in explaining the new pope’s choice of name.
An Augustinian pope
Vatican watchers said Prevost’s decision to name himself Leo was particularly significant given the previous Leo’s legacy of social justice and reform, suggesting continuity with some of Francis’ chief concerns.
“He is continuing a lot of Francis’ ministry,’’ said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the chair of religious studies at Manhattan University in the Bronx. But Imperatori-Lee also said his election could send a message to the U.S. church, which has been badly divided between conservatives and progressives, with much of the right-wing opposition to Francis coming from there.
“I think it is going to be exciting to see a different kind of American Catholicism in Rome,’’ Imperatori-Lee said.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, told reporters he never thought he would see an American pope, given the questions of how an one would navigate dealing with a U.S. president, especially Trump.
“How is it that the Holy Father is able to deal with President Trump, for example — whoever our American president? Would those ties be too close or too distant?” he said. “And so I just never imagined that we would have an American pope, and I have great confidence that Pope Leo will do a wonderful job of navigating that.”
Leo was expected to celebrate Mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, planned to deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s and lined up an audience with the media Monday in the Vatican auditorium, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
Beyond that, he has a possible first foreign trip at the end of May: Francis had been invited to travel to Turkey to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a landmark event in Christian history and an important moment in Catholic-Orthodox relations. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, welcomed Leo’s election and said he hoped he would join the anniversary celebration.
The new pope was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, which was formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars — dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization. Vatican News said Leo is the first Augustinian pope.
Prevost’s election thrilled American students studying in Rome who happened to be in St. Peter’s Square to witness history.
“That’s the first American pope in history. How exciting!” said Alessandra Jarrett, a 21-year-old political science student at Rome’s John Cabot university. “Crazy that we’re able to be here and see it, and this was even our last day in school.”
Sister Bernadette, a 50-year-old nun from Houston, Texas, was studying spirituality in Rome at the same university where Prevost did graduate studies, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum.
“He touched the heart of everyone, and he acknowledged the great work of Francis, which he wants to continue embracing the world and embracing all of our brothers and sisters in Christ,” she said.
The past of Pope Leo
Francis moved Prevost from the Augustinian leadership back to Peru in 2014 to serve as the administrator and later bishop of Chiclayo.
He remained in that position, acquiring Peruvian citizenship in 2015, until Francis brought him to Rome in 2023 to assume both the bishops’ dossier and the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. In that job he would have kept in regular contact with the Catholic hierarchy in the part of the world that counts the most Catholics. Counting North, Central and South America, the region had 37 cardinal electors going into the conclave.
The bells of the cathedral in Peru’s capital of Lima and at Holy Name Cathedral in downtown Chicago tolled after Prevost’s election was announced. People outside the Lima cathedral said they wanted Prevost to visit.
“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said elementary school teacher Isabel Panez, who happened to be near the cathedral when the news was announced. “We would like him to visit us here in Peru.”
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Giada Zampano, Helena Alves in Rome, Franklin Briceno in Lima, Peru and Colleen Barry in Schiavon, Italy contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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This story has corrected the number of Augustinian popes. Vatican News says Pope Leo XIV is the first Augustinian pope, not the seventh.
