Tulsa parishioners react to the naming of a new pope

Tulsa area Catholics celebrate the announcement of a new Pope. Parishioners at noon mass at Tulsa's Holy Family Cathedral heard the news from Bishop Edward Slattery, the head of the Tulsa Diocese.

Tuesday, April 19th 2005, 1:33 pm

By: News On 6

Tulsa area Catholics celebrate the announcement of a new Pope. Parishioners at noon mass at Tulsa's Holy Family Cathedral heard the news from Bishop Edward Slattery, the head of the Tulsa Diocese.

The bishop spoke of this being a time of unity for the church and Catholics worldwide. He recalled being in Rome for Pope John Paul's funeral and how he now feels a sense of peace.

Bishop Slattery did not go into much detail about the man who now leads the Church, for many Americans, Benedict XVI may be a bit of a mystery. Parishioner Monty Jury: "He was close with John Paul II and that's comforting, since we don't know anything about him. There's going to be a real consistency in the Papacy it looks like, from John Paul to Benedict. I'm looking forward to it."

For many parishioners, this is the first change in the Papacy they've ever seen.