MORNING HEADLINES | Thursday’s election of Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, of Chicago as the first-ever American pope in the Catholic Church prompted celebrations around the world, including in the Lowcountry.
“In this moment of grace, we give thanks to the Holy Spirit for guiding the Catholic Church and entrusting her to a shepherd who will lead with faith, wisdom and love,” Charleston Bishop Rev. Jacques Fabre-Jeune said in a statement about the new pope, who took the name Leo XIV.
“Let us unite in prayer for our new shepherd, that he may serve in humility and strength. As sacred scripture reminds us, ‘I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently’ (Jer 3:15). May God bless Pope Leo XIV and sustain him in this sacred mission.”
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, a senior Democrat who represents part of Charleston, added in a statement: “We celebrate the first American Pope — an extraordinary milestone in the life of the Catholic Church. May Pope Leo XIV be guided by humility, courage, and a heart for justice as he steps into this sacred calling. Our prayers are with him and with all those he is called to serve.”
The new pope’s first public words Thursday when he stepped onto a Vatican balcony were “Peace be with you.”
This morning, the new pope returned to the Sistine Chapel to preside over his first mass as leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics worldwide. He called for “missionary outreach” to help heal the “wounds that afflict our society.”
In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper:
CP OPINION: How to make South Carolina greater. “Democrats in the nation’s capital have a huge numeric advantage over Republicans in the 2026 elections that they need to push to retake the U.S. Senate. With 35 seats up for grabs next year, Democrats will defend just 13, while Republicans have to defend 22 to keep their three-vote advantage in the chamber.”
- CP CARTOONS: Ariail: Sine Dead
- CP CARTOONS: That’s Fake News!
CP COVER: Perfect playlists to make your music purr. Take a look at “perfect playlists” from eight people tied to South Carolina who you might recognize. You’ll thrill to everything ranging from eclectic to classic.
CP NEWS: Trump tariffs bite bottom line of small businesses in state, Charleston. According to economists and small business operators in Charleston and across the state, Trump’s tariffs have been a dagger aimed straight at the heart of a sector that employs almost half of all working South Carolinians.
CP NEWS: Change needed to maintain Charleston’s bike infrastructure, advocate says. With year-round moderate weather and a beautiful, historic downtown surrounded by the natural beauty of the Lowcountry, Charleston should be a cyclist’s ideal place to live.
CP NEWS: 90% of S.C. shelter pets saved from euthanasia, group says. Charleston animal welfare activists this week reached a milestone they’ve dreamed of for more than a decade — saving 90% of shelter animals in the state from euthanized death.
CP FOOD: Pink Bellies is Pho King on Wednesday nights. Veteran Charleston chef Thai Phi of Pink Bellies is launching a brand new pho eatery right inside of his popular King Street restaurant. Aptly named Pho King, the concept will center around a perfect bowl of the beloved soup.
CP ARTS: Hogan: Charleston, let’s home in on home. “Slipping into a steamy town in our overloaded Country Squire, we had pulled up stakes in Chapel Hill for my father’s new job at MUSC. Our rented historic home on Tradd Street.”
CP MUSIC: Charleston duo Gods performs from new album. The Charleston duo Gods with guitarist Philip Ward and drummer Deslin Price will take the stage Saturday night at the Royal American to play songs from its new album, Alchemy, the group’s first release in four years.
In other headlines:
S.C. legislature ends its 2025 session with some wins, some uncertainty. The South Carolina General Assembly wrapped up its regular 2025 session Thursday with a few accomplishments, but a number of things like the fate of the state treasurer and radical changes in the state’s tax code are still up in the air.
Lawyers for man executed by S.C. firing squad say bullets mostly missed his heart. A man who was put to death last month in South Carolina’s second firing squad execution was conscious and likely suffered in extreme pain for as long as a minute after the bullets, meant to quickly stop his heart, struck him lower than expected, according to a pathologist hired by his attorneys.
Personal property could become county-owned for Charleston Airport Connector road project. For folks living around where the Airport Connector Road project is expected to be, where Interstate 526 meets West Montague Avenue, Charleston County might be looking to purchase the property.
American College of the Building Arts in Charleston helps fill ‘huge need’ in craftsmen gap. The American College of Building Arts is more than a hands-on technical school. Graduates are learning the craft in Charleston and taking on preservation and construction roles nationally.
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