For more on Pope Leo the 14th and what he means for both the church and for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, we turn now to two guests, both in Rome.

Kim Daniels is the director of the initiative on Catholic social thought and public life at Georgetown University.

She's also a member of the department overseeing communications for the Vatican.

And Father Thomas

Reese is senior analyst for religion news service and author of Inside the Vatican, the politics

and organization of the Catholic Church. Welcome to you both. Father Reese, I want to start with

you. For the first time in history, an American pope. What's your reaction to the selection

and also how Pope Leo the 14th first addressed

the world? It was a real shock to have an American elected as Pope. We never thought this would

happen. I think that he made a very good impression, especially by picking the name Leo.

Leo the 13th, his predecessor,

was the one who started the church on the road towards Catholic social teaching and social justice.

And because in the 19th century, he was on the side of the working class. He was on the side of labor unions. He was on the side of the poor people of his time.

And I think that's exactly what the new Pope Leo is also going to do.

And Kim Daniels, what does the rather quick election of Pope Leo suggest about the Cardinals'

priorities and the direction they hope to set for the church?

I think it's a sign of how much Catholics share in common.

There's a lot of focus on the vision,

but it's a sign of the consensus that built very quickly around Cardinal Provost,

now Pope Leo.

I think it's also a sign of what their priorities are here,

and that is to continue Pope Francis' vision of spiritual renewal and structural reform.

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