Pallade Veneta - 'A blessing': US Catholics celebrate first American pope

Outside Manhattan's imposing St. Patrick's Cathedral, 66-year-old Rosaria Vigorito, an artist from Miami, said she could "feel the excitement just in the few minutes I've been walking around."

She said she hoped Pope Leo, a 69-year-old from Chicago who spent much of his career in Peru, would be a reformist.

"I have one issue with the Catholic Church that I'm hoping they'll correct, and that is allowing women to become priests," she said, a crucifix around her neck.

"I think Mary Magdalene was an important apostle. There was a press release issued by the Vatican years ago -- they called her the apostle to the apostles."

Crowds of faithful and journalists had gathered around lunchtime outside the church that first opened its doors in 1879, with hundreds of worshippers filing in to pray and light candles.

A news ticker outside the nearby Fox News building announced the shock news to the city.

Oscar Salvador, 45, a laborer from Mexico, said he hoped the new pope would be able to stem the tide of people leaving the church.

"I believe it is a blessing for the people of America," he said.

"Hopefully, he will leave a good legacy... so that more people stay in Catholicism, since lately we have seen many people leave for other religious sects."

American worshipper Tim Anderson, 61, said Leo's strength would lie in his languages -- reportedly speaking English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese -- in addition to reading Latin and German.

"I'm still working on English so I think it's gonna be interesting in this day and age where there's so much craziness," he laughed.

"Maybe he can bring back a little bit of what I remember as a child growing up a Roman Catholic -- and how full the churches were back then."

- 'Welcoming to everybody'? -

Vigorito said she wanted Leo "to bring us together, trying to increase the sensitivity to love and peace."

She acknowledged the new pontiff would have a daunting task to "do as much as (he) can as a religious leader, because we deal with a lot of secular politics and issues."

"I would love the new pope to help, especially with conflicts in any way possible, like in Ukraine," she said.

Salvador said he was also hopeful Leo "can reconcile the countries that are at war and help them to reach peace so that we do not continue on this violent path that we are living on today."

Having an American pope "will help bring more people to the Catholic Church, and even those that have walked away -- maybe they'll get reengaged," added Vigorito.

Annie Elm from North Carolina paid tribute to former pope Francis, calling him "wonderful" and praising his legacy.

"He loved everybody. He lived very modestly. He didn't live in the big homes. He was very humble," she said.

Elm said she was hopeful Leo "would be also very kind and caring -- welcoming to everybody."

F.Abruzzese--PV