Trump calls election of first American pope a 'great honor'

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has called the election of the first American pope a "great honor" for the country and said he looks forward to meeting him.

Trump is among the many American political figures applauding the historic appointment of Robert Francis Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV, to lead the Catholic Church.

"To have the Pope from America is a great honor," Trump said when asked for reaction to the news.

Pope Leo, 69, was born in Chicago and attended university outside Philadelphia, before becoming a missionary in Peru.

The US has the fourth largest number of Catholics in the world, and congratulations started pouring in soon after the first American pope's name was announced.

Vice-President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, praised the pope's election.

"I'm sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church," Vance wrote on X.

Former President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic who has spoken about his warm relationship with Pope Francis, also offered his congratulations.

"Habemus papam - May God bless Pope Leo XIV of Illinois," Biden, the second Catholic president in US history, wrote on social media.

Former President Barack Obama, who launched his political career in Chicago, wrote on X: "Michelle and I send our congratulations to a fellow Chicagoan, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV."

"This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith."

Former President George Bush issued a statement, saying that he and his wife Laura were "delighted" by the news.

"This an historic and hopeful moment for Catholics in America and for the faithful around the world," he said.

"We join those praying for the success of Pope Leo XIV as he prepares to lead the Catholic church, serve the neediest, and share God's love."

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson also congratulated the new pope and wrote on social media: "May God bless the first American papacy in these historic days."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Catholic, also extended his congratulations.

"This is a moment of profound significance for the Catholic Church, offering renewed hope and continuity amid the 2025 Jubilee Year to over a billion faithful worldwide," Rubio said.

"The United States looks forward to deepening our enduring relationship with the Holy See with the first American pontiff."

As cardinal, it appears Prevost did not shy away from occasionally challenging the views of the Trump administration.

An account under his name reposted a post on social media platform X which was critical of the Trump administration's deportation of a US resident to El Salvador, and shared a critical comment piece written about a TV interview given by Vance to Fox News.

"JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others," read the post, repeating the headline from the commentary on the National Catholic Reporter website.

The BBC has contacted the Vatican but has not independently confirmed the account, which was created in 2011, belongs to the new pontiff.

Meanwhile, in Prevost's hometown, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson offered a note of congratulations.

"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 wrote.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the moment "historic".

"Hailing from Chicago, Pope Leo XIV ushers in a new chapter that I join those in our state welcoming in at a time when we need compassion, unity, and peace," he wrote on social media. — BBC