Since 2007, the number of Americans identifying as Christian has declined, including Catholics, according to the Pew Research Center. One priest in North Carolina said the new pope's American roots might bring those numbers up, especially among younger Americans. The election of an American pope came as a shock for the Rev. Peter Tremblay, who preaches to students at Elon University. But having the U.S. connection may increase the number of faithful Americans that have been dwindling over the last two decades."A lot of people felt welcomed back to the church under Pope Francis because of the way that he did things, what he said, the symbolic gestures that he enacted," Tremblay said. "It seems like Pope Leo is going to continue in that direction."According to data from the Pew Research Center, 58% of Catholics in the U.S. are over 50 years old, which poses a challenge for the faithful base in the country. Roughly 20% of adults identify as Catholic based on a 2024 Religious Landscape Study.Tremblay said the new pope may inspire younger Christians to recommit to their faith based on his message for unity and peace."I do believe there are a number of people amongst our young students, think about generation Z, who are reconsidering faith for a lot of different reasons, and many are looking at Catholicism for a lot of wonderful reasons," he said. "And I suspect here in the United States, the election of Pope Leo might help to grow those numbers."Pew Research Center data also shows that 29% of Catholics in the U.S. are immigrants. Tremblay says Pope Leo XIV's world experiences may also send a message encouraging followers to be accepting of fellow Catholics from various walks of life."The vast majority of immigrants coming to the United States bring their Catholic faith with them," Tremblay said. "And so visiting a Catholic church, especially here in North Carolina, you're going to see immigrants and people of devout, beautiful faith. And they've immigrated but brought their catholic faith with them."The divisive political nature of the United States also plays a role in how the pope is perceived, Tremblay said. He thinks Pope Leo XIV may be able to unify people, as Pope Francis did before him."Because Pope Leo is an American, our American Catholics will probably pay more close attention to what he says and consider it a little bit more seriously, especially when he offers some feedback that might challenge us," he said. "The gospel doesn't fit into a political party or a political category. So I suspect people will listen more closely. I'm just worried in our day and age, people might be a little bit more quick to dismiss him if he says things that they don't immediately like."