Catholics across the globe and here in Hawaiʻi are praying for the new head of the church. Pope Leo XIV is the first American pope, and in Kalihi last night, parishioners gathered to celebrate a Mass in his honor.
In his sermon, Bishop Larry Silva spoke of the intense analysis about who this cardinal from the south side of Chicago is, and what he may or may not do as the head of the church.
“This missionary pope is a symbol for us to also go out to all the world and preach the good news,” Silva expressed in the sermon.
The Conversation sat down with Silva just before the Mass. He and a delegation from Hawaiʻi had been planning to visit the Vatican in October to celebrate the jubilee year of Christ’s birth.
Silva plans to extend an invitation to the new pope to come to Hawaiʻi in 2027 to celebrate the bicentennial of the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries that came to Hawaiʻi.
Silva said he never thought the church would have a pope from America.
"God is full of surprises, so thanks be to God. I think it's a great source of pride for us who are here in the United States. But on the other hand, I mean, it's not because he's an American that we're celebrating, but because he has a lot of pastoral experience throughout the world.”
Silva called Pope Leo “a man of the world” whose experience ranges from pastoral to international with various head titles and roles. He's hopeful that Pope Leo will help emphasize the missionary aspect of the church.
"I would hope that he would help us find concrete ways to reach out to those who do not know Jesus yet and to come to know him and to love him, and to know how much he loves them, and to come into the church to experience his presence with us, especially in the Eucharist,” Silva told HPR.
Silva has been the bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu for 20 years, and this month marks his 50th year in the church.
This interview aired on The Conversation on May 13, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
