Trump, Vance, other U.S. leaders celebrate first American pope
Thursday, 8 May 2025 ()
“What a great honor for our country,” President Trump said of the election of the Catholic Church’s new Chicago-born pope on May 8, 2025. / Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2025 / 16:32 pm (CNA).
U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, along with former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and scores of other elected officials throughout the country expressed joy and excitement over the selection of the first American pope, who is from Chicago.
Pope Leo XIV — formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost — was selected by the College of Cardinals in Rome Thursday on the second day of the papal conclave to serve as the immediate successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.
He is the first pope from the United States and from North America. Francis was the first pope from South America.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named pope,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope,” Trump added. “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!”
Vice President JD Vance, who is a convert to Catholicism, also congratulated the new pontiff in a post on X.
“I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church,” the vice president said. “May God bless him!”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is Catholic, also shared congratulatory remarks: “May God grant him wisdom, courage, and grace as he carries out his sacred ministry.”
Former President Joe Biden, who was the second Catholic president to serve in the White House, also celebrated the news in a post on X in a joint statement with his wife.
“Habemus papam — May God bless Pope Leo XIV of Illinois,” the former president said. “Jill and I congratulate him and wish him success.”
*Chicago officials beam with hometown pride*
Former president Barack Obama, who spent much of his adult life living in Chicago, issued a statement with his wife, Michelle, congratulating “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,” Obama said.
Pritzker, who has served as the Illinois governor since 2019, referred to “the first American leading the Catholic Church” as a “historic moment” in a post on X.
“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,” the governor said.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed joy over the news in a post on X and has already encouraged a papal visit back to his hometown.
“Everything dope, including the pope, comes from Chicago!” the mayor said. “Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! We hope to welcome you back home soon.”
In his first address, Pope Leo XIV urged people to build bridges through dialogue and encounter to work toward unity and peace.
The Holy Father expressed his desire to “walk together … as a united Church, always searching for peace, justice, and trying to always work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.”
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