Giving thanks to Almighty God, Bishop Vetter, and the Diocese of Helena, joins the faithful around the world in joy and excitement at the selection of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 266th Successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV, by the 133 Cardinal electors on Thursday, May 8.
Called forth by the Lord as the Universal Shepherd to the whole People of God, we support him with our prayers and fidelity, entrusting ourselves to his leadership and guidance.
This is also a historic day for U.S. Catholics, who celebrate the first American Pope in the Church’s history, giving the faithful of the United States a deeper connection to the heart of the global Church in a new and profound way.
Bishop Vetter was blessed to spend some time most recently with then Cardinal Prevost in September 2023 when Cardinal Prevost was the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and Bishop Vetter was attending the Formation for New Bishops’ Program, “Baby Bishop School,” for two weeks.
Bishop Vetter will celebrate a Mass on Friday, May 9 at 7:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Helena to pray for Pope Leo XIV and extends an invitation to all to join in person or in prayer.
We are grateful to God for the gift of Pope Leo XIV and pray together for the new Holy Father as he begins his ministry to guide the Church towards the love and hope of Christ.
Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and joined the Augustinian order in 1977, making his solemn vows in 1981. He holds a degree in theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
He joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and largely worked in the country until 1999 when he was elected head of the Augustinians’ Chicago-based province. From 2001 to 2013, he served as prior general of the worldwide order in Rome. In 2014, Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru. He was then named as the apostolic administrator of Callao, Peru from April 2020 to May 2021.
On January 30, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and proclaimed him a Cardinal later that year on September 30, 2023.
Bishop Vetter at last year’s Rector’s dinner for the Pontifical North American College with Bishop Checchio and a group from the Metuchen Diocese, and then Cardinal Prevost.