‘As an Augustinian Catholic institution, we celebrate this significant day for our university community and the global church,’ said the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, president of Villanova University, the alma mater of the new pope.
By Fiona Andre and Adelle M. Banks
(RNS) – Religious and political leaders around the world are commenting on the election of American Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th pope. He will take the name of Pope Leo XIV.
Here’s what they said:
U.S. President Donald Trump
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. 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!”
Former U.S. President Joe Biden
“Habemus papam – May God bless Pope Leo XIV of Illinois. Jill and I congratulate him and wish him success.”
U. S. Vice President JD Vance
“Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!”
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ president
“In communion with Catholics around the world, the bishops of the United States offer prayers of thanksgiving for the election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. … Certainly, we rejoice that a son of this Nation has been chosen by the cardinals, but we recognize that he now belongs to all Catholics and to all people of good will. His words advocating peace, unity, and missionary activity already indicate a path forward.”
The Rev. James Martin, Jesuit priest and America Magazine editor
“I know Pope Leo XIV to be a kind, open, humble, modest, decisive, hard-working, straightforward, trustworthy, and down-to-earth man. A brilliant choice. May God bless him.”
Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress
“The World Jewish Congress (WJC) congratulates Pope Leo XIV on his election as the next leader of the Catholic Church. The WJC’s relationship with the Holy See spans decades and is grounded in a deep, ongoing commitment to interfaith dialogue. The WJC looks forward to continuing and deepening this essential dialogue under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV. At a time of global crisis, the importance of this relationship is only heightened.”
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
“Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV. May God bless the first American papacy in these historic days.”
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“Joyfully, people around the world have learned of a new Pope elected by one of the largest and most diverse conclaves ever — and the first American pope in history. For many of us, the name Leo XIV happily brings to mind Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum which was a blessing for working people. And it is heartening that His Holiness continued the blessing that Pope Francis gave on Easter Sunday: ‘God loves everyone. Evil will not prevail.’”
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Pope Leo XIV. I’m praying for him as he assumes this position of spiritual leadership. May God grant him the compassion and courage needed to lead during these difficult times.”
Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel
“Praying for my Catholic friends & extending high hopes for their new leader. God’s blessing on Pope Leo XIV!”
Isaac Herzog, president of Israel
“I congratulate Cardinal Robert Prevost, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, on assuming this sacred and momentous responsibility – the first American Pope. I send you my warmest wishes from the Holy City of Jerusalem. We look forward to enhancing the relationship between Israel and the Holy See, and strengthening the friendship between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land and around the world. May your papacy be one of building bridges and understanding between all faiths and peoples. May we see the immediate and safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza, and a new era of peace in our region and around the world.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
“We extend our congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election. We in the UAE deeply appreciate the Vatican’s role in promoting dialogue and peace among nations and faiths, and we look forward to working together with His Holiness to advance a global message of coexistence, tolerance and shared humanity.”
Bishop Robert Barron of Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota)
“Friends, our new Holy Father is Pope Leo XIV!… The first-ever American pope, Prevost served most recently as the head of the Church’s Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Please join me in praying for Pope Leo!”
Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs, American Jewish Committee
“We look forward to a close relationship with Pope Leo XIV as we continue to advance positive Catholic-Jewish relations for the benefit of Catholics, Jews, and all of humanity. In this sixtieth anniversary year of Nostra Aetate, when we celebrate and reflect upon the positive transformation of Catholic-Jewish relations, we stand ready to work with Pope Leo XIV to assure that past successes are affirmed and furthered and new challenges are met with confident collaboration.”
Bishop Lawrence Sullivan, vicar general for the Archdiocese of Chicago
“This is for all of us, having Pope Leo, the 14th elected as the Holy Father. It’s a day of great excitement for the church. Additionally, it’s a day of great excitement for Chicago, for the United States to have one of our own be elected as the Pope, to serve as the Holy Father, really is a cause of great joy, great excitement. I do believe that Pope Leo, the 14th, is going to serve with great, obviously great faith. He’s a very humble, a very kind person, and someone who really does look to the Lord for guidance in all that he does. He’s a very prayerful and spiritual man, and he’s going to take that sense of God’s love and do all that he can to care for all of God’s children to care for, for all of us.”
The Rev. Robert A. Dowd, president of the University of Notre Dame
“The Notre Dame community joins with the Church worldwide in giving thanks and rejoicing in the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. We celebrate his work as a tireless missionary who has never hesitated to cross borders to announce the Gospel. A leader of vision, humility, and energy, he has inspired us with his compassion, generosity and love for the people of God. As he begins his pontificate, we pray that Pope Leo will always be blessed with the wisdom, courage, and fortitude he will need.”
Chris Wimbush, interim president, Catholics for Choice
“It is not lost on us that the first U.S. pope comes now, in 2025. Whether intentional or not, Pope Leo will immediately be cast as a foil to President Trump and Catholic Vice President Vance and their anti-immigrant, anti-peacemaking, anti-economic justice policies. It is our most fervent hope that Pope Leo will rise to this challenge and show the world what true, humble, global leadership looks like. … Catholics for Choice’s work is more important than ever. That’s why we collected stories from the faithful Pope Leo now serves, who disagree with church teaching (on abortion). We will be sending them to Pope Leo in the hope he will open his heart to listen. The future of our church depends on greater inclusion and nuance on reproductive health decisions like abortion, contraception, and IVF.”
The Rev. Peter M. Donohue, Villanova University president
“As an Augustinian Catholic institution, we celebrate this significant day for our University community and the global Church. … With today’s election of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, I cannot help but reflect on what his Augustinian papacy will mean to our University community and our world. Known for his humility, gentle spirit, prudence, and warmth, Pope Leo XIV’s leadership offers an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our educational mission.”
Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson
“Today we join with the global Catholic Church and people of good will throughout the United States and around the world in congratulating and praying for Pope Leo XIV as he begins his papacy. In the weeks, months, and years to come, we look forward to drawing inspiration in a special way from the first American pope as the 168 Catholic Charities agencies across the United States fulfill their vital mission to come to the aid of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers in every corner of this country.”
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
“As white smoke rises, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) extends its acknowledgment to Pope Leo XIV on the gravity of the role he now assumes. With the title comes a grave reckoning.”
Francis DeBernardo, executive director, New Ways Ministry
“We pray that as our church transitions from 12 years of an historic papacy, Pope Leo XIV will continue the welcome and outreach to LGBTQ+ people which Pope Francis inaugurated. The healing that began with ‘Who am I to judge?’ needs to continue and grow to ‘Who am I, if not a friend to LGBTQ+ people?’ … For more than five decades LGBTQ+ Catholics have been pleading for the church to listen. With Pope Francis, their request was fulfilled. To revert to old ways of turning deaf ears to people who long to be full members of the Church is not the way of Jesus.”
Dignity USA
“DignityUSA joins many around the world in offering our prayers and best wishes to Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, as he begins his service to our church and the world in this new role. This election appears to signal a willingness to continue building on Pope Francis’ commitment to synodality and social justice. … We express concern with the former Cardinal’s statements — as reported in the New York Times — in a 2012 address to bishops, where he stated that Western news media and popular culture fostered ‘sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel’ including the ‘homosexual lifestyle’ and ‘alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.’”
David J. Michaels, director of United Nations and intercommunal affairs, B’nai B’rith
“The Catholic-Jewish friendship is indispensable – and its flourishing over the past 60 years in particular can serve as a model for reconciliation and vital interreligious engagement. We affirm our commitment to this bond and hope to engage with Pope Leo XIV, as we have his predecessors.”
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
“The election of Pope Leo XIV – the first American pope – marks a watershed moment in the history of the Catholic Church. It is a reminder that faith is for all people in all places and that the gospel is an invitation to all. … My prayers are with the Catholic Church during this historic transition.”
Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar University, Cairo Egypt
“My sincere congratulations to Pope Leo XIV on his election as Pope of the Catholic Church. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with His Holiness in strengthening interfaith dialogue and promoting the values of human fraternity, in pursuit of global peace, coexistence, and a better future for all humanity.”
Amanda Tyler, executive director, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
“With his election, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, assumes religious leadership of Catholics spanning continents, cultures, and political systems. As political leaders in our country celebrate this moment as a national triumph, we must be clear: Christianity is a global religion, grounded in humility, compassion, and universal dignity – beliefs that stand in direct contrast to nationalism, which seeks to elevate one nation or identity above others. Faith should never be used as a tool of nationalism.”
Monsignor Fernando Ocariz, prelate of Opus Dei
“From the moment his name was announced from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, we have been offering our prayers for him and for the immense mission that lies ahead of him. … Let us accompany the new Roman Pontiff with our affection and prayer, following our Founder’s example.”
First published May 8, 2025
