Arizona man met Pope Leo XIV years before his papal election
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Dozens of parishioners attended noon mass on Thursday at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix. One couple said that once they heard the news that a new pope had been selected, they cancelled their plans so they could be with fellow Catholics to celebrate.
Arizona’s Family met a man outside the church who said he knows Pope Leo XIV personally. Armando Ruiz said he met Pope Leo at the Catholic Conference of Bishops in Peru decades ago. Both were missionaries together in northern Peru and crossed paths many times over the years.
“People respect him. He’s kind, calm, direct, decisive and I think he’s really going to help,” said Ruiz. “He’s a missionary and that part understands poor people, understands what the world is like, understands what the developing nations, Africa, certain parts of Asia, and Latin America. He understands that. He gets it.”
Ruiz said he prayed Pope Leo XIV would be elected, but it is shocking that it happened. Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix is also surprised that someone born in the U.S. is pope, for the first time in history.
Pope Leo is known to spread love and help the poor and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Peru. The hope is his background is able to unite the world in peace.
“He says at the same time that every person is unconditionally loved. So all of the issues we talk about in the United States: about who’s who, who loves who, who’s special, who’s not...He’s saying we’re all children of God, we’re all loved by God unconditionally,” Ruiz added.
He helped lead a service in celebration of the new Pope Leo at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Americas in south Phoenix late Thursday. Excitement spilled over to into the nightly prayer service.
“I was at a conference. I was sitting there with my telephone just looking and waiting and then they announced it I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I got chills I was like I could have stood up and gone!”
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