By Cecilia Odey, Washington/ Salif Atojoko, Abuja/ additional reports
May 8, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders, including Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu have congratulated Robert Prevost, a Cardinal from Chicago for being selected as the Pope.
Pope Leo XIV was selected on Thursday as the 267th Pope in the history of the Catholic Church.
“Prevost will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
“It is such an honour to realise that he is the first American Pope.
“What excitement, and what a great honour for our country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social Platform.
He said he is looking forward to meeting the Pope.
The U.S. President was often at odds with Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, over his hardline policy toward migrants.
Francis, the 88-year-old former pontiff, died on Easter Monday.
Germany’s Merz congratulated “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV” on being elected to head the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Merz, who is Catholic, said in a press statement that people in Germany look to the new pontificate “with confidence and positive expectations.
“Through your office, you provide hope and guidance to millions of believers worldwide during these times of great challenges.
“For many people, you are an anchor for justice and reconciliation.”
President Tinubu on Thursday congratulated the new Pope on his election as the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a statement from his spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu commended the Conclave for electing the American-born Robert Francis, Cardinal Prevost, as the 267th Bishop of Rome.
The President celebrated the historic election of the new Pontiff, whose message of faith, hope, and peace had resonated worldwide.
He expressed joy with the leadership and members of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, emphasising the longstanding and valuable relations shared between Nigeria and the Holy See.
Tinubu highlighted the Catholic Church’s contributions to peacebuilding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and more recently, promoting technology for human development.
He expressed his belief that Pope Leo XIV’s election has opened a new chapter in the Catholic Church’s history, reinforcing values of love, humanity, and charity, especially for the underprivileged.
He prayed that God grants the new Pope good health and wisdom to spread the message of peace and love globally.
Ukrainian President Zelensky also congratulated the new Pope on Thursday and said he hoped the new head of the Vatican would continue to support his war-torn country and condemn Russia.
“Congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex on his election to the See of Saint Peter and the beginning of his pontificate,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“Ukraine deeply values the Holy See’s consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians,” the Ukrainian president added.
“At this decisive moment for our country, we hope for the continued moral and spiritual support of the Vatican in Ukraine’s efforts to restore justice and achieve a lasting peace.”
Zelensky concluded: “I wish His Holiness Leo XIV wisdom, inspiration, and strength – both spiritual and physical – in carrying out his noble mission.”
Italy’s Meloni in his congratulatory message on X said: “I extend my most sincere wishes to Pope Leo XIV for the beginning of his pontificate.
“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.”
