United States President Donald Trump has congratulated
Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as the new pope of the Catholic Church.
Prevost, who adopted the name Leo XIV, is the first American
pope in the church’s history.
Leo was declared pope on Thursday evening, hours after white
smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney in Rome.
The conclave to elect the new pope began on Wednesday.
Reacting to the development, Trump said it is an honour that
the new papal head is the first American in the role.
“What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,”
he added in a Truth Social post shortly after the Vatican’s announcement.
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very
meaningful moment!”
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.
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