World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Giorgia Meloni of Italy, and Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, have congratulated Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, who was elected the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
In a post on his social media website Truth Social, Trump noted Pope Leo will be the first American pontiff in the church’s history.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honour for our Country.
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Also in comments to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “It’s such a great honor for our country, an American pope, and what greater honor can there be.”
Trump, who attended the funeral Mass for the late Pope Francis on April 26, stirred controversy in the days leading up to the conclave by posting an image that appeared to be created by artificial intelligence depicting himself as pope to the White House’s social media account.
Just days before the Vatican’s conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed in full papal attire on his social media platform.
Trump also joked that he would “love to be pope” and that it would be his “number one choice.”
The US president’s actions were met with criticism and accusations of insensitivity from members of the Catholic community, including cardinals preparing for the conclave.
The Vatican did not officially comment on the matter.
Trump is not Catholic and attended Pope Francis’s funeral, adding to the controversy of his posts during the Vatican’s official mourning period.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has congratulated Pope Leo XIV on being chosen as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
“I extend my most sincere wishes to Pope Leo XIV for the beginning of his pontificate,” Meloni wrote on X.
“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 added.
She lauded “a spiritual legacy that follows the path traced by Pope Francis, and that Italy looks at with respect and hope.”
Francis, the 88-year-old former pontiff, died on Easter Monday.
On his part, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu extended warmest congratulations to His Holiness Leo XIV on his election as the 267th Bishop of Rome and the new spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu celebrated the emergence of American-born Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the newly elected Pontiff, hailing the decision of the Conclave as a defining moment for the global Catholic community.
“The President felicitates the Conclave for electing the American Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome. President Tinubu rejoices with the leadership and congregants of the Catholic Church in Nigeria on the historic election of the new Pontiff whose message of faith and hope already resonates across the globe,” the statement reads.
Describing Pope Leo XIV’s ascension as a beacon of reassurance drawn from scripture, President Tinubu expressed confidence that the new Pope would inspire a more peaceful and united world.
The President also took the opportunity to reflect on the long-standing and fruitful relationship between Nigeria and the Holy See, highlighting the Catholic Church’s vital role in peacebuilding, education, healthcare delivery, infrastructure development, and, in recent times, the promotion of technology as a tool for human advancement.
Tinubu noted that the election of Pope Leo XIV “opens a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church and the values of love, humanity and charity, particularly to the underprivileged, that it has consistently projected.”
He concluded his message with a prayer for the new Pope, asking the Almighty to endow him with strength, wisdom, and divine guidance in his mission to spread peace and love across the world.
Additional reports by Agency Reports
