CATHOLICS all over the world and in Tampa Bay celebrated Thursday’s election of a new pope, though many expressed that their joy was mixed with surprise.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago, became the new pope Thursday.

The Vatican announced Prevost, 69, will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

Vincent Caruso watched the news unfold at Jesuit High School.

“We were watching the livestream, and when the white smoke came up, we all freaked out like, ‘Oh, we have a new pope’,” Caruso said.

It was a moment celebrated across the globe, but especially here in the U.S. as the first American pope was picked to lead the Catholic church.

“It makes me feel special, because… we’re similar,” Chase Pears said. “We’re from the same place.”

The decision came as a surprise to many Catholics in Tampa Bay.

“I never thought I’d see that,” said Jesuit High School Assistant Principal Brian Greenfield. “Excitement, shock, curiosity.”

Greenfield explained that, he hopes, having a pope from the U.S. will have a positive impact on the nation.

“Hopefully in America, where there is a need for more inspiration, especially in matters of faith, this pope will invigorate us, inspire us, and challenge us to grow,” he shared.

So why is everyone so shocked the new pope is American?

News Channel 8 went to USF Associate Professor James Cavendish to find out.

“The United States is already a major global power, and having a pope from the U.S. felt like it would centralize too much world influence within America,” he stated.

But Cavendish said, in this case, he doesn’t think that’s true.

“It seems like he may have spent as much time outside of the United States than inside the United States, so he’s very much of a global figure,” he explained.