ROME – The Winona-Rochester bishop, Robert Barron, expects the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as pope twill nave a “vivifying effect” on the American church. Barron was in Rome for the selection of the new pope. He noted that the new pope, who has chosen the name Leo XIV, is not only the first American to lead the world’s Catholics but also, like himself, a fellow Chiago native. “No one was expecting an American, but what a marvelous surprise to see him emerge on the loggia,” Barron said. The bishop said he has spoken with the new pope a number of times over the years: “I know him as a man of great intelligence, experience, and prayerfulness.” The new pope has been in church service at the Vatican in recent years. Earlier he was a bishop in Peru. In his initial address to throngs packed into St. Peter’s Square the new pope suggested his papacy will continue the social justice emphasis of his predecessor Pope Francis. This includes global struggles with the environment, immigration and poverty.