"We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest — whether the child in the womb or the elderly in their frailty — for they are both gifts from God," said the future Pope Leo XIV.
By Maria V. Gallagher
I will never forget the moment — 12:08 p.m. Eastern Time on May 8, 2025.
A friend of mine texted one word with six exclamation points:
“White!!!!!!”
I knew instantly what she was referring to — white smoke billowing out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It’s the internationally-known signal that a new Pope has been elected by the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
Amazing connections
I hurried into the main office of the place where I have worked for the past 22 years — the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, the Keystone State affiliate of National Right to Life. I then sprinted to the television and asked our staff to gather around so that we could watch the emergence of the newly-named Holy Father.
We were all amazed to learn that the pontiff was born in Chicago — the city where I earned my Master’s Degree in Journalism.
But our connection to Cardinal Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, did not end there. We quickly learned that Father Denis Wilde, an Augustinian priest who had been the recipient of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Lifetime Achievement Award, had known the future Pope when “Bob” was an undergraduate (class of 1977) studying mathematics at Villanova University near Philadelphia.
Even more impressive, Bob Prevost had been associated with Villanovans for Life — a pro-life student organization. He was among students from the group who attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
And the connections did not end there.
Villanovans for Life
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation has county-based chapters throughout the Commonwealth, including one known as the Greater Harrisburg Pennsylvanians for Human Life. The Secretary of the chapter, Laura Pyne, was a member of Villanovans for Life back in the day and knew Bob as a quiet, impressive young man.
She even has a memory of him, dressed as the movie star and comedian Groucho Marx, for a Halloween party.
“We were all flabbergasted when we got the news” of their former classmate being named the first Pope from the United States, Laura said. She remembers that he “was highly respected” and his “intelligence was sky-high.” She has not seen him in person since his Villanova days, but she did know of his priestly service in Peru and his ascension to the College of Cardinals.
A news release from Villanova University details Pope Leo XIV’s illustrious academic credentials:
Following his undergraduate studies at Villanova, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1977, he earned a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982 and was ordained a priest the same year. Pope Leo XIV went on to earn both licentiate (1984) and doctorate (1987) degrees in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Villanova also awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, in 2014.
Pro-life support
While his time with Villanovans for Life was decades ago, the Holy Father has continued to proclaim the sanctity of human life from the dawn to the twilight of life.
Immediately after he was named Pope, I printed out one of his more memorable pro-life quotes:
We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest — whether the child in the womb or the elderly in their frailty — for they are both gifts from God.
The election of Pope Leo XIV has renewed interest in Catholicism in the U.S. His infectious smile and humble manner have attracted praise — even from those outside the Church. The Holy Father has also tried to turn the spotlight away from himself and toward his Lord Jesus, through Whom all blessings flow.
With the pontificate of Leo XIV, we may be well on our way to a new era of evangelization, led by a man who is truly of the people.
God bless Pope Leo XIV!
Maria Gallagher is the author of Mercy's Power: Inspiration to Serve the Gospel of Life, and the forthcoming Healing Encounters with Mary: A Guide to Living the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, both from Marian Press.
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