Dear Friends,

When the announcement of the new pope was made on May 8th, I was in a hospital bed in the emergency room battling an illness. All of a sudden, my phone went ballistic with messages informing me of who the new pope is - Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, an American-born Augustinian missionary! What? I unconsciously reacted. At a human level, I was thrilled that the new pope and I both share the name Robert and both of us are Americans of dual citizenship. But I was also shocked, like I believe many were, because though holding a prominent position in the Vatican, little was known about him. Besides, many more still never expected an American to become a pope at this time.