2017 BY POPE FRANCIS. CATHOLICS ACROSS THE CITY ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW POPE, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE’S AN AMERICAN, WLKY’S ADDIE MEINERS JOINS US LIVE FROM THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ASSUMPTION. ADDIE YOU SPOKE WITH THE CHURCH GOER AS THEY LEFT MASS EARLIER TODAY. I DID VICKY, I SPOKE WITH SEVERAL AND EXCITEMENT AS THE WAY THAT I WOULD DESCRIBE THE MOOD OF THE PEOPLE LEAVING MASS AT THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ASSUMPTION EARLIER TODAY, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE AN AMERICAN POPE, BUT ALSO THE FACT THAT WE JUST HAVE SOMEONE NOW LEADING THE CHURCH ONCE AGAIN. NOW, CHURCHGOERS TELL ME THAT THE PRIEST ACTUALLY ANNOUNCED DURING MASS THAT A NEW POPE HAD BEEN SELECTED, AND EVERYONE WAS EXCITED, BUT DIDN’T KNOW WHO IT WAS JUST YET. NOW THAT THEY DO KNOW THAT IT’S POPE LEO THE 14TH, THEY SAY THEY’RE EVEN MORE EXCITED. THEY HOPE THE NEW POPE WILL CONTINUE WITH POPE FRANCIS’S MISSION IN BRINGING MORE INCLUSIVITY TO THE CHURCH AND CONTINUE ATTRACTING A YOUNGER CROWD. WELL, I’M CATHOLIC. I HAVE DEEP FAITH, AND I HOPE OUR NEW LEADER CAN CAN REALLY REPRESENT EVERYONE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. AND IT’S EXCITING TO EMBRACE ALL WALKS OF LIFE, YOU KNOW, AND PROPAGATE MORE. THE CATHOLICISM. SO THAT’S ALL WE WANTED. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT’S AN EXCITING TIME. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT SOMEONE WHO’S ENERGETIC, WHO IS, WE HOPE IS GOING TO HAVE A LONGER TENURE AND, AND REPRESENT EVERYONE AND NOT BE. BE ABLE TO GET OUT IN FRONT OF YOUNG PEOPLE, TRAVEL THE WORLD AND BE ABLE TO REPRESENT EVERYONE. AND MANY PEOPLE SAID THEY NEVER THOUGHT THEY’D SEE THE DAY THAT AN AMERICAN POPE WOULD BE CHOSEN TO LEAD THE CHURCH. BUT THAT DAY HAS NOW OFFICIALLY COME. AND IF YOU’D LIKE TO COME HERE AND CELEBRATE THE POPE’S APPOINTMENT, YOU CAN DO SO HERE AT THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ASSUMPTION ON MONDAY, ARCH BISHOP SHELTON WILL BE OVERSEEING A MASS HERE. THAT’S MONDAY AT 6:00 AT THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ASSUMPTION. LI