Pope Leo XIV, who was elected at the Vatican yesterday, has previously criticized Donald Trump in newly resurfaced tweets.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago became the 267th Pope — and the first ever from the United States.
Born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, Pope Leo XIV brings both American and Peruvian nationality to the global role.
As white smoke filled the sky on May 8, thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, waiting to greet the Church’s newest spiritual leader.
“Peace be with all of you,” he told the crowd in his first public address, delivered in Italian. “Brothers and sisters dearest, this is the first greeting of Christ resurrected. I would like to offer a greeting of peace to reach your families, all of you, wherever you are. May peace be with you.”
He went on to say: “God loves us all, unconditionally,” and added: “Humanity needs Christ as a bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us, and help each other, build bridges. We can all walk together towards that homeland God has prepared for us.”
He ended with “A special greeting to the Church of Rome,” and thanked his diocese in Peru in Spanish: “where a loyal people has shared its faith and has given a lot.”
As Pope Leo XIV steps into the spotlight, some of his past tweets have returned to haunt — or perhaps define — him, as reported by the Telegraph.
In 2018, he reshared a post from Cardinal Blase J. Cupich that read: “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all.”
He also retweeted support for DACA and criticism of Trump’s “bad hombres” rhetoric.
Just this April, he shared a tweet calling out the leaders of the US and El Salvador: “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscious not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”
And on February 3, he amplified an article titled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Despite their stark ideological differences, Donald Trump — who attended Pope Francis’s funeral and has described himself as a “non-denominational Christian” — celebrated Prevost’s election.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honour to realise that he is the first American Pope,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“What excitement, and what a Great Honour for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”