Celebratory bell peals rung out from Catholic churches in the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday, and Israeli leaders were quick to send their well wishes, as the Catholic Church announced that it had elected American Cardinal Robert Prevost as its new head, and that he had taken the new name Pope Leo XIV.
President Isaac Herzog became the first to congratulate the new pope, sending “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,” the president said, expressing hope that his papacy will “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,” Herzog added, in remarks published in Hebrew, English and Arabic.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined Herzog in congratulating the new pontiff, in a brief statement published by his office.
“I wish the first Pope from the United States success in fostering hope and reconciliation among all faiths,” Netanyahu said in an English-language statement.
Pope Leo XIV appears on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after his election, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)
Relations between Jerusalem and the Vatican have soured in recent years amid the war in Gaza, as Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, became increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct.
In the months before his death, Francis twice slammed Israel’s “cruelty” in Gaza, and denounced “the invader’s arrogance” in both “Ukraine” and “Palestine,” breaking with the Holy See’s modern tradition of neutrality.
His death served to further highlight the deteriorated relations, as Israel declined to send a head of state or government representative to his funeral, choosing instead to be represented only by its ambassador to the Vatican.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) with Pope Francis at a welcoming ceremony at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, May 25, 2014. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
In contrast, when Pope John Paul II died in office in 2005, Israel sent both then-president Moshe Katsav and then-foreign minister Silvan Shalom to his funeral.
The Foreign Ministry also signaled openness to mending relations with the Vatican — which recently took a turn for the worse after it deleted a social media post offering condolences for Francis’s death — and issued well wishes to its new leader on Thursday.
“We look forward to working together to further strengthen the relationship between the Jewish state and the Holy See,” read the statement, which congratulated Pope Leo XIV and “Catholics around the world.”
“We hope to welcome you soon to the Holy Land,” it added.
We congratulate Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV — the first American Pope — and Catholics around the world.
We look forward to working together to further strengthen the relationship between the Jewish state and the Holy See.
We hope to welcome you soon to the Holy Land. pic.twitter.com/YJMCBaY1Zz
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 8, 2025
Joining Israeli leaders in congratulating the new pontiff, the Anti-Defamation League expressed hope that he would contribute to strengthening “the legacy of cooperation between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people.”
“For decades, relations between the Catholic Church and the global Jewish community have steadily strengthened,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said. “We hope Pope Leo XIV will continue this historic trajectory — rejecting antisemitism in all its forms, promoting mutual understanding, and upholding the shared values of peace, compassion, and human dignity.”
