Washington
‘A monumental day’: Catholics in Washington embrace the first US-born pope
Many Catholics said they see Pope Leo XIV as a humble leader who will strive to unite the church and stand up for the poor as well as immigrants.
Experts on the significance of the new pope choosing the name Leo XIV
Experts say a papal name can give you clues about the new pontiff’s values and priorities. What does choosing Leo XIV tell them?
WASHINGTON – Across the nation’s capital, Catholics joyously welcomed the news of the church’s first U.S.-born pope.
“I never thought in my lifetime I would see an American pope,” said Rev. Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the director of St. Matthew’s Cathedral. “Today is an extremely joyful day.”
On May 8, the most senior figure in the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to be the 267th pope just one day after the papal conclave commenced. Originally from Chicago, the 69-year-old served more than four decades as a missionary and a bishop in Peru, where he became a naturalized citizen.
The new pontiff, who chose the name Leo XIV, was not among the favorites to succeed Pope Francis, who died last month at the age of 88. Still, his selection was a welcomed surprise for many Washingtonians.
Jameson, who leads operations at the mother church of the archbishop of Washington, said the announcement of Pope Leo XIV “totally shocked” him. Leo’s ascension to the top of the Catholic Church was a surprise, Jameson said, because being a U.S. citizen was long considered a barrier to the papacy.
The monsignor anticipates the new pontiff will pick up where Francis left off, advocating for the poor and for immigrants and pushing for unity, peace and inclusivity.
“He is someone who will continue the work of Francis and, for me, that’s very important,” Jameson said, watching as a crew of maintenance workers traded the black bunting with a vibrant white and gold draping to commemorate a new pope with the colors of the Holy See.
When Gabby Innamorato and some of her coworkers heard the cardinals had selected a new pope, she rushed out of her office and headed into St. Matthew’s Cathedral across the street.
Innamorato, who works at a nonprofit, said she was unfamiliar with the new pontiff’s name as she was hoping for Luis Antonio Tagle, of the Philippines, to succeed Francis. But, after listening to Pope Leo XIV’s first words from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, she feels hopeful that the new leader of the Catholic Church, like Francis, will be “a man of the people.”
“This is a surprise, but not in a bad way,” she said. “I just did not expect it.”
Lucero Rossi, 36, said Leo was the kind of pope she has been praying for since Francis’ death.
To Rossi, who was born in Mexico but works in the U.S. as an economist, the issues that matter most are immigration and the environment. And in the short time she’s spent reading up on Leo’s statements, she believes he will follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and push for progress on both issues.
“He seems to have a very pro-immigrant agenda,” she said, “so I am very happy about that.”
Rossi watched as he made his first public appearance at St. Peter’s Basilica, opening in Italian with “Peace be with you all.” But what stuck out most of all was the moment he greeted his diocese in Chicago and Peru in Spanish – not English.
“I really loved that,” she said. “That was an embrace of the Latin American world.”
Isaac Sagastume, an ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Washington, said “it’s a very exciting time for the church in the United States.”
Sagastume, who announced to a roaring applause at the start of the afternoon mass that white smoke could be seen emanating from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel – indicating a new pope had been chosen. He said Leo is a leader well suited to deal with the world’s many current affiliations.
“He was a candidate that had experience of the church in the U.S., but also in Latin America and the church at large,” said Sagastume.
Standing outside the church where he briefly met Pope Francis in 2016, Sagastume said Francis “set a path” for Leo and he hopes to see a “pastoral continuation” from the new head of the Vatican.
U.S. politicians also chimed in with well wishes and kind words for the new pontiff. Speaking to the media, President Donald Trump said “To have the Pope from America is a great honor.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the first Peruvian-American member of Congress, said on X that he wishes Leo “strength as he steps into his role as a global and spiritual leader.”
“He has demonstrated that he believes in justice for the poor and immigrants,” Garcia said. “May his leadership reflect these ideals as he spreads peace across the world.”
Hours after Leo made his first formal greeting as the new pope, a crowd of faithful Catholics filled the pews at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America.
As the evening mass began, Rev. Msgr. Vito A. Buonanno, pronounced “He’s American!” to a thunderous roar of applause. “I never thought I’d live to see it,” he added.
Catherine and Steven Miggemeier attended the mass after a more than four hour drive from Long Island, New York. They came to Washington to pick up their daughter, a sophomore at Catholic University of America, and decided to drop into the nearby church to mark the historic day.
The lifelong Catholics said they hope Leo will bring more people to the Catholic faith and show, as Francis did, that “the church is open to everyone.”
Catherine Miggemeier, who was in New York when Francis made his only U.S. visit in 2015, also said she hopes Leo will soon return to his native land and make several appearances across North America. Until then, she said she will embrace the excitement of a new representative of God on Earth.
“This is a monumental day,” she said.
This story was updated to correct a typo.
Charging documents reveal the U.S. Park Police officer who was shot Monday in Southeast D.C. had arrested one of the suspects the day before and was following that suspect at the time.
The suspects are brothers, 22-year-old Asheile Foster and 21-year-old Darren Foster, of Southeast. They appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon.
Court documents state the Park Police officer who was shot had arrested Asheile Foster on Sunday on suspicion of dealing drugs. The officer said he followed Foster after he was released from jail on Monday and came to Park Police headquarters to get his personal belongings.
According to prosecutors, Foster told police he knew he was being followed by a white Tesla, and he confronted the officer on Queens Stroll Place SE, jumping out in front of the Tesla before the officer swerved around him.
Then, dozens of gunshots went off, the officer told police. He said in charging documents he was shot in the shoulder as he kept driving several blocks to the intersection of Benning Road and Southern Avenue SE, where police found him. A helicopter then took him to a hospital. According to charging documents, the officer was treated and released the same night as the shooting.
A U.S. Park Police officer who was shot in Southeast D.C. on Monday is recovering from what authorities say was likely a targeted attack. Multiple law enforcement sources tell News4’s Mark Segraves that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday.
Photos in the charging documents show the brothers firing at the officer’s Tesla, according to prosecutors.
The shooting drew a massive police presence to the Southeast neighborhood near the D.C-Maryland border Monday night.
Shell casings littered the middle of the street. Police said they recovered two weapons: a Glock 9 with an extended magazine and an AR-15.
Prosecutors said that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday. No one was injured in that shooting.
Darren Foster was located and stopped shortly after the shooting, D.C. police said. Asheile Foster was found on Tuesday.
The brothers were charged with assault on a federal officer, assault with intent to kill and weapons charges. They could face up to 60 years in prison if they’re convicted.
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Washington just became the latest state to regulate artificial intelligence.
Under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will have to include new disclosures in their popular chatbots for Washington users.
Ferguson asked legislators to craft House Bill 1170 to crack down on AI-generated misinformation. When content is substantially modified using generative AI, that information will now have to be traceable using watermarks or metadata. The new law applies to large AI companies more than 1 million monthly subscribers.
“ I’m confident I’m not the only Washingtonian who often sees something on my phone and wondering to myself, ‘Is that AI or is it real?’ And I feel like I’m a reasonably discerning person,” Ferguson said during the bill signing. “It is virtually impossible these days.”
RELATED: WA Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions
House Bill 2225 establishes new guard rails for AI chatbots that act like friends or companions. It applies to services like ChatGPT and Claude, but excludes more narrowly tailored chatbots, like the customer service windows that pop up when visiting a corporate website.
Chatbots that fit the bill will have to disclose to users that they are not human at the start of every conversation, and every three hours in an ongoing chat. The tools will also be barred from pretending to be human in conversation with users.
The rules go further if the user is a minor. Companies that operate chatbots will have to disclose that the tools are not human every hour, rather than every three hours, if the user is under 18. The bill forbids AI companions from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users. It also bans “manipulative engagement techniques.” For example, a chatbot is not allowed to guilt or pressure a minor into staying in a conversation or keeping information from parents.
“AI has incredible potential to transform society,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, of course, there are risks that we must mitigate as a state, especially to young people. So I speak partly as a governor, but also as the father of teenage twins who grapple with this as a lot of parents do every single day.”
Under the law, AI chatbots will not be allowed to encourage or provide information on suicide or self-harm, including eating disorders. The companies behind these tools will be required to come up with a protocol for flagging conversations that reference self-harm and connecting users with mental health services.
The regulations come in the wake of several high-profile instances of teenage suicide following prolonged interactions with AI companions that showed warning signs. Many more AI users of all ages have reported mental health issues and psychosis after heavy use of the technology.
Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)
Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.
The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.
The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.
The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.
Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.
INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).
Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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