President Donald Trump celebrated the election of the first American-born pope, calling it a “huge honor” and Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the first American clerk on Thursday, May 8, who chose Leo XIV as the pope’s name.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who has just been appointed Pope,” Trump said in a post about the Truth Society. “It’s an honor to realize that he is the first pope in the United States. What is excitement and what is honor to our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Trump has previously said he has no preference for the new pope and has caused a backlash from some Catholics after releasing his AI-generated image as the pope on social media
Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago and attended Villanova University before becoming a missionary in Peru.
He was elected and accepted his fate as the next bishop of Rome, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Pope Leo XIV will replace Pope Francis, and Pope Francis died after leading the Catholic Church for more than a decade. Over the past decade, he has played the key to shaping the image of the church, highlighting issues such as climate change during his tenure.
