What are your thoughts on the election of Pope Leo XIV?

Catholics (48%) – "IMHO good choice for current times— Chicago-born but European parentage and Peru persuasions. Villanova grad which often translates to intelligent and globally-aware leader with charitable leanings. Hopefully he will use heart, mind and soul to shepherd both the Catholic Church and the world toward the best version of Humanity."

• "I'm grateful that someone from the U.S. states was selected as we are in grave need of a person who can be a force for good here and in the World. Pope Leo XVI I hope will lead with much more diplomacy and compassion than our country is currently experienceing. I love that he is discribed as humble and a diplomat who is more open to loving and incuding all... not just those deemed worthy."

"Like any leader of any organization, he will draw praise and criticism. But I really believe that the cardinals' selection of him goes beyond the human capabiliities - why on earth would they choose an American-born pope when the American church is not the center of the Catholic world and doesn't have a great reputation world-wide? There is something bigger than all of us at play, and - as a Catholic - it reinforces my belief in the Holy Spirit. We are made for the moments we find ourselves in."

• "The biggest thing I continue to learn is to get my church news/updates from the church. Media spin is always inflammatory and rarely helpful. Pope Leo has a monumental task ahead of him, and time will tell how he chooses to lead Catholics and interact with the world."

"I am excited the College of Cardinals elected Leo XIV as our next Pope. As a devout Catholic, I believe God & the Holy Spirit had a divine inspiration in his election. However, we must remember he is still a man & not infallible. I believe he does need to take a proactive stance on important topics such as sex abuse by the clergy especially since he worked closely with appointing bishops in dioceses where their predecessors covered a lot of these things up. Also the declining number of Catholics in parishes in the United States needs to be addressed in my opinion. How can we reinvigorate our Catholic youth & bring them back to the church? The Roman Catholic Church is at a crossroads, no pun intended, but I am interested to see where Pope Leo XIV will lead us. I pray for him & our church leaders in Rome to do what is best."

Non-Catholics (52%) – "I recognize the importance of electing a non-European as Pope, and the historical impact that may have. While not Catholic my extended family is, and I feel like the Pope needs to lead the followers into a brighter more positive era, that embraces inclusion vs exclusion, and deals with the inherent issues surrounding priests and the legal issues that have come to light."

• "I am really relieved the church did not swing back to a conservative pope, as a child of a non traditional family with two mothers, one of whom is catholic and Italian, I understand that pope Leo is not accepting of families and parents like mine but I have not heard that he is denouncing it so I will take a win as a win."

"Here we go again... The new Pope's hands are not particularly clean in regards to child molestation by priests under his dominion. Several priests accused of these horrible crimes were apparently given sanctuary by then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. And in one case, the priest he harbored was in a monastery near a Catholic school attended by children, and no notice was given to the school as required by law. So I guess we know what we can expect from this guy.. More of the same.. more protection of criminal priests.. more Christian hypocrisy.. more lies.. more sanctuary for child molesters.. and more cover-ups.. Good choice Cardinals!"

• "In today's modern age, it baffles me how much significance is put on this moment. I was particularly jarred by the patriotism exhibited by those in the crowd at St. Peter's Square. Is it a moment for national pride? I thought this was meant to be unifying."

"I am interested to see if he's going to be a more traditional pope than the previous one. The world political stage feels like it's moving more and more conservative and we cannot pretend that the pope isn't a political figure."