LAFAYETTE PARISH — As the world continues to learn more about newly elected Pope Leo XIV, one Lafayette priest said he has a personal connection to the pontiff that dates back nearly five decades.
Father Richard Andrus, pastor of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Lafayette, said he studied alongside Pope Leo XIV — then known as Robert “Bob” Prevost — at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in the late 1970s.
“I know this guy! I know him!” Andrus exclaimed following the announcement from the Vatican. “To be able to have that instant connection with the man that's just been elected pope — not many people can say, ‘I went to school with that man.’”
Prevost, a member of the Augustinian order, studied with Andrus beginning in 1978. Andrus described him as intelligent, easygoing and deeply committed to his studies and community.
“First day of school, I met Bob. Pope Leo XIV,” Andrus said. “We were in school together for the next several years. He enjoyed being with the rest of the Augustinians that lived there — he was a true community man.”
Andrus said he was stunned when he heard the news of Prevost’s election.
“When they came out and said an American and then they said Robert Prevost, I was beside myself,” he said. “Such a sense of excitement because of the kind of person that he is — easygoing, but yet firm. He knows how to lead.”
And he added with a smile: “One of his greatest attributes is that being from the South Side [of Chicago], he is a White Sox fan. Let me get that clear.”
A New Orleans historian said the pope has Creole roots and deep family connections to the Crescent City through his maternal family — adding a new layer of local pride for Catholics in the region.
Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born pope and is expected to bring a unique perspective to the papacy shaped by his experiences in both the United States and Latin America.
