Washington — President Trump celebrated the election of the first U.S.-born pope, calling it a “Great Honor” that Robert Francis Prevost, who chose Leo XIV as his papal name, was selected Thursday as the first pontiff to hail from the U.S.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
After an event at the Oval Office, Mr. Trump told reporters that “we were a little bit surprised and very happy” to learn the new pope is an American.
Leo, 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, leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics earlier Thursday.
The U.S. has the fourth-largest Catholic population, after Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines.
The late Francis I was the first pope born in the Western Hemisphere, as a native of Buenos Aires.
Vice President JD Vance, the country’s highest-ranking Catholic offiical, posted a message on social media congratulating Leo.
“I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church,” Vance wrote. “May God bless him!”
Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
The post New Pope Leo XIV honored by Trump: “What excitement” appeared first on CBS News.
