Chow’s call came after the 69-year-old Augustinian priest, whose name is Robert Francis Prevost, became the first of 267 popes in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church to be elected from the United States.
Speaking in a statement on behalf of the Hong Kong Catholic Church, Chow said the new pope, who was born in Chicago, emphasizes “bridge building, a synodal church and a church for the poor”.
“He urges the faithful all over the world to make a collective effort in creating a more harmonious world with love and inclusivity,” Chow said in the statement.
“Together with the faithful, Cardinal Stephen Chow, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, gives thanks to God for choosing Pope Leo XIV.
“They pray that God will bless him abundantly in his future ministry as the Supreme Pastor of the Roman Catholic Church.”
The diocese’s remarks were echoed by a local scholar, who also noted that the new pope could assist socially-disadvantaged communities around the world in a very practical manner given the high regard in which he is held by cardinals from around the world in electing him.
Shue Yan University’s Anthony Lam said the American was a favourite as his election only required four rounds of voting held over a relatively short period, indicating that the cardinals reached a consensus quickly.
Lam, an assistant professor in the department of journalism and communication, added that Pope Leo’s more than 20 years of work in Peru as a missionary and then archbishop of Chiclayo means he has a good understanding about the plight facing socially-advantaged communities.
“He was working for the poor in South America, and it must have been a hard experience,” he told RTHK.
“He would have encountered issues of hunger or poverty, or individuals who did not get the opportunity to develop themselves, as well as the plight brought by such deprivation.
“These problems are very real; they are real difficulties in life, so I believe if he tries to solve such issues, he will adopt a very practical approach to truly help those in difficult situations.”
For years, Lam said, there had long been a taboo against electing a US pope, given the geopolitical power already wielded by the United States in the secular sphere.
He believes the new pope’s election can bring balance to the bias.
Lam said Pope Leo’s choice in settling on his papal name is a tribute paid to the last pope who took the name, Pope Leo XIII, who focused much of his papacy to labour rights as well as social justice.
“I think his election will help bring balance back to the United States to counter the current hegemonic US president Donald Trump.”
Pope Leo XIV was born in 1955 in Chicago. He was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru in 2015, before becoming a cardinal in 2023. From 2023 until his election as pontiff, he served as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under the Holy See.
