Vice President JD Vance congratulated Cardinal Robert Prevost on Thursday after he was named Pope Leo XIV on the second day of the conclave in Vatican City.
“Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election!” Vance posted on X, formerly Twitter, on his personal account @JDVance.
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email for comment.
Why It Matters
On Thursday, Cardinal Robert Prevost was named Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church. Prevost was chosen as the new pope—the 267th leader of the Catholic Church—on the second day of the conclave.
The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, which comprises some 1.4 billion followers around the world. He was born in a suburb of Chicago, less than 300 miles from Vance’s hometown in Middletown, Ohio.
Pope Francis meets with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and delegation during an audience at Casa Santa Marta on April 20, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican.
Pope Francis meets with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and delegation during an audience at Casa Santa Marta on April 20, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican.
Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images/Getty
What To Know
In addition to sharing his own message on social media, Vance also reshared a post from the White House, which was a congratulatory message from President Donald Trump.
Prevost follows Pope Francis, who died at age 88 of a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure on April 21. Francis’ death came one day after Easter Sunday when he gave a surprise appearance on the iconic loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Vance, who was baptized into the Catholic Church in 2019, was granted one of the last audiences with Francis on Easter Sunday.
The meeting came only a few months after Francis issued a forceful condemnation in February of the Trump administration’s sweeping deportation policies, warning that expelling migrants solely on the basis of their undocumented status strips them of their dignity and “will end badly.”
After news broke of the pope’s death, Vance shared a link to a homily—a type of religious lesson—that the pope had given during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance wrote on X at the time.
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”
Prior to Leo’s selection, Vance reshared a video on X on Wednesday from Cardinal Timothy Dolan discussing the conclave.
What People Are Saying
Vance’s post on X: “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!”
The White House, on X on Thursday afternoon: “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!” –President Donald J. Trump”
What Happens Next
The world’s Catholics now turn to Leo for leadership at a pivotal time for the Church. When it comes to division in the Catholic hierarchy regarding the inclusive view Francis adopted, the new pope represents the “dignified middle of the road,” the Rev. Michele Falcone, a priest in the Order of St. Augustine, told The New York Times on May 2.