BATON ROUGE — History was made Thursday as Pope Leo XIV became the first American-born pontiff elected to lead the Catholic Church.

The pontiff, whose name is Robert Prevost and was born in Chicago, has family ties to Louisiana. Pope Leo spent most of his adulthood in South America, with his ministry in Peru.

Bishop Michael Duca of the Baton Rouge Diocese said it's as if God shaped Pope Leo's life for this moment.

“He has that foundation in the United States, but he has the mindset that’s been shaped in Peru, in first world countries, second world countries, third world countries, and also working in the Vatican, working closely with the Holy Father," Bishop Duca said.

LSU Religious Studies professor Michael Pasquier said the new pope's experience reflects the church's global reach and changes.

"In many ways, the future of the church is southern hemispheric. It's places like South America, Africa, and Asia where the number of Catholics is growing. Where the number is decreasing is in North America and Europe," Pasquier said.

Pope Leo XIV named himself in honor of Pope Leo XIII, a pontiff known for his work respecting the dignity of human beings. Bishop Duca said it is unique to take a name after him.

"By choosing that name, it shows maybe an area he will be focusing on by uplifting the dignity of everyone in the United States," he said. "In fact, in his opening, he said God loves everyone, and we need to be a bridge for  everyone to come together in unity."

Pasquier said Pope Francis and Pope Leo are different, yet they share similarities.

"Pope Francis took very seriously of Catholic social teaching into his papacy so most people think that is signaling he's going to be a pope that's going in the direction of Pope Francis and the messages and the style that he took the papacy," Pasquier said.