LIBERTY, Mo. — Half a world away from The Vatican, Father Mike Roach of St. James Catholic Church in Liberty, waited Thursday for the announcement of Pope Francis' successor.
"I have a feeling it's someone who has a like-mind as him (Pope Francis)," said Roach.
For Roach, he was not only waiting for the announcement of who the pope is, but what name he would chose.
"If he says Francis II, then he'll follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis," he said. "That'll be interesting. He can choose a name and Pope Francis chose Francis of Assisi because he served the poor."
Then finally, the reveal.
"That's really hard to believe," Roach said.
Not only was Roach surprised by the conclave electing the first-ever American pope, but also Pope Leo XIV's age. The new pope is 69-years-old.
"They really want somebody who's going to be in there for several years," he said.
His name pays homage to Pope Leo XIII.
“Leo XIII was pope at the early 20th century, early 1900s, and really brought a lot of social justice for workers and for the poor," Roach said.
In the pope's first address to the world, Roach heard a familiar message, one that carried the same message of social justice that Pope Francis spread.
"Building bridges, bringing people together and everyone is welcome," Roach said. "I think those are powerful words."
Although Roach has seen the election of a pope before, he became emotional on Thursday.
"That church has been doing this for 2000 years," he said. "It's just great to see it."
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