The Catholic Church has a new Pope! Pope Leo XIV (14th)
Robert Francis Prevost, originally from Chicago, Illinois, has been elected the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church—a monumental moment in Church history.

Statement from Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Crookston Diocese :
Although each pope brings with him different emphases and encouragement, the mission of the Church remains the same — the mission of proclaiming the Life of Christ to the world of today. Together with our Church, throughout the world, we seek to make the world anew. By sharing the life of God, we are inviting those we meet to share with us the life of God through the sacraments.

As we begin this new moment in the life of the Church in the third millennium with our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, let us commit ourselves to the mission Jesus gave us when he ascended into Heaven to make disciples of all those around us.

Together let’s pray for our Holy Father, that the Lord might grant him grace and sustain him. Let us seek ourselves to live the holiness of the mission of the Church so the Church might be strong in our day — not just in Rome, but even here in northwest Minnesota.