Churchgoers at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York attending Sunday (May 11) Mass said they hoped Pope Leo, the first U.S-born pontiff, would focus on inclusivity and address ideological divides within the Catholic Church.

Those divisions, which mirror more generalized political polarization in the U.S., are evident in a host of issues: immigration, same-sex couples, climate change and the role of women in the Church, among other issues.

On the cathedral steps, Patrick Sheridan, who came to the mass from New Jersey, stood alongside his wife Mary and said they were happy to learn that the new pope went to the same school - Villanova University in Pennsylvania - as many members of their family.

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"We hope that the new Pope makes America feel as inclusive as the Catholic Church wants everybody to be," Patrick Sheridan said.

Jason Graham, who also attended the mass, said that having an American Pope could be helpful for improving the image of the United States abroad.

"Our country's not looking so great, especially with the current administration," he said. "But I think that he's a positive influence for America, and I think he's gonna have a positive impact on how other people in the world will see America," he added.

Despite the warm embrace of his countrymen and women, the deeply divided U.S. Catholic Church may ultimately pose some of the most serious challenges for the new pope.

The Catholic Church received its first U.S. leader at a time when President Donald Trump took a series of measures aimed at cracking down on migration, mostly from Latin America, after he took office in January.

In their politics, U.S. Catholics have swung more conservative, with right-wing media and Trump-era culture wars combining as powerful influences within the church. Catholics voted for Trump 59%-39% over Democrat Kamala Harris in the November presidential election, a 12 percentage point swing from 2020, according to exit polling by Edison Research.

"I think he has to kind of walk a hard line, right?" said Lucero De Paz of Pope Leo. "Because a lot of the church did vote for Donald Trump and there were a lot of people who didn't. And so, as you know, the spokesperson for the church, I think it's important for him to kind of be conscious of who the parishioners are and the struggles that they face and also kind of the reasons that they did or did not vote for him," she added.

De Paz, a Hispanic American from Texas, also said that Pope Leo's stance on immigration won her over.

Churchgoers expressed hope that Trump would be able to work with the new Pope who has not been shy about criticizing the current U.S. administration. Pope Leo is expected to follow in the footsteps of Francis, a champion of the poor and of immigrants, who also had his differences with the Trump administration.

"I think he's gonna stand on his own," Jason Graham said. "I think the Pope is gonna listen to God and not Donald Trump."

(Production: Pavithra George, Hussein Waaile)