Mumbai: The Catholic community in the city joined their brethren worldwide in rejoicing as Cardinal Robert Prevost of the US was elected the new Pope in Rome on Thursday. A cheer went up in individual homes when a spire of white smoke emanated from the chimney of Sistine Chapel, followed by the declaration ‘Habemus Papam!’ People were pleased when the new leader of the Catholic Church pledged to continue the legacy of Pope Francis in his maiden public address.Fr Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for the archdiocese of Bombay, said, “The election of a new pope is always a moment of profound significance for 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. Pope Leo XIVis a missionary who has worked in Peru, and brings pastoral experience. As for the significance of the name, Pope Leo XIII was a man who stood for social justice and choosing the name could signify that the new Pope will focus on issues of justice.”Fr Nigel added, “His election arrives as the Church grapples with declining congregations in the West, reverberations of clerical abuse scandals, internal tensions between tradition and reform, and the urgent call to address poverty, migration, and ecological crises.”Fr Frazer Mascarenhas, former principal of St Xavier’s College, said, “A Cardinal from North America, who has also worked in Peru, South America — a bridge between the global north and south! Cardinal Robert Prevost is the first Pope from North America. The European dominance has been broken with two consecutive Popes from the Americas. The universality of the Catholic Church has been highlighted. Pope Francis will be smiling.”Fr Michael Pinto of Salvation Church, Dadar, prayed that Pope Leo would be “God’s representative bringing peace to all nations”.Former Indian hockey captain Joaquim Carvalho was glued to his TV set too. “It is a great continuity of St Peter our first Pope and we look forward to our new leader to help the world live in peace and harmony.”Jenny Rodrigues, professor of history at Bandra’s National College, said, “The name taken by the new pope is Leo, signifying bravery and lion heartedness. In today’s challenging world, we need a leader who leads from the front, who will have the qualities of empathy, humility as well as greatness.” David Vaz, media consultant, said, “We were keenly waiting to see who the next Pope would be, who will continue the legacy of Pope Francis.” Vaz did mention that the election of Leo was somewhat of a surprise. The name of Cardinal Tagle from the Philippines had been leading the betting stakes in Mumbai.