The Vatican on Thursday announced that Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, will take up the highest authority in the Catholic Church after only two days of deliberation and voting by the papal conclave.
Upon the announcement of the first American pontiff to be elected, world leaders began reacting with their own messages of support and good wishes.
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)
FIRST AMERICAN ELECTED PONTIFF, GET TO KNOW POPE LEO XIV
U.S.
President Donald Trump took to his social media site to offer his “congratulations” and said, “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope.
“What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,” he added. “I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson, the current leader of Leo’s hometown, posted his excitement of the news on X and said, “Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago! Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV!
“We hope to welcome you back home soon,” he added.
ITALY
Italy’s leader, President Giorgia Meloni, who was reportedly close with Pope Francis, extended her “most sincere wishes to Pope Leo XIV for the beginning of his pontificate.”
“In a time marked by conflict and unrest, his words from the Loggia delle Benedizioni are a powerful call for peace, brotherhood and responsibility,” she said in reference to the central balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica. “A spiritual legacy that follows the path traced by Pope Francis, and that Italy looks at with respect and hope.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greets Pope Francis as he attends the G7 Summit, at the Borgo Egnazia resort, in Savelletri, Italy, June 14, 2024. ( Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS)
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PERU
The government of Peru – where Leo spent more than a decade serving in the Catholic Church and where he was appointed bishop in 2014 before getting his dual citizenship in 2015 – offered its congratulations from President Dina Boluarte, offering their “fraternal greetings” to the pontiff.
“He served our people with love and faith. In his first message as pontiff, he recalled with emotion his time in Chiclayo and his closeness to Peru,” the statement highlighted. “May God bless him in his mission!”
SPAIN
“Congratulations to the entire Catholic Church for the election of the new Pope Leo XIV as [Pontiff],” the President of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the predominantly Catholic country, said on X. “May his pontificate contribute to strengthening dialogue and the defense of human rights in a world that needs hope and unity.”
FRANCE
“A historic moment for the Catholic Church and its millions of faithful,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. “To Pope Leo XIV, and to all Catholics in France and around the world, I extend a message of fraternity.
“On this May 8th, may this new pontificate be one of peace and hope,” he added in apparent reference to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of the U.S., appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (Claudia Greco/Reuters)
CARDINAL ROBERT PREVOST ANNOUNCED AS FIRST AMERICAN POPE, TAKING NAME LEO XIV
UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wished Pope Leo congratulations along with “wisdom, inspiration, and strength—both spiritual and physical—in carrying out his noble mission.”
“Ukraine deeply values the Holy See’s consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians,” he continued. “At this decisive moment for our country, we hope for the continued moral and spiritual support of the Vatican in Ukraine’s efforts to restore justice and achieve a lasting peace.”
UNITED KINGDOM
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the appointment of the first American pontiff a “momentous moment” and said, “The election of Pope Leo XIV is a deeply profound moment of joy for Catholics in the United Kingdom and around the world.
“I look forward to meeting the Holy Father soon,” he added.
Nuns react to white smoke from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new pope has been elected, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)
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MEXICO
The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, wrote on X, “We congratulate His Holiness Leo XIV, elected by the College of Cardinals as Head of Vatican City State and spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.
“I reaffirm our humanist convergence for world peace and prosperity,” she added.