Pope Leo XIV from the United States for the first time ever...What is your relationship with Trump?
May 09, 2025
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On Tuesday, the second day of the conclave, 133 cardinal electors elected U.S. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, as the 267th pope in just the fourth round of voting. It has been 17 days since Pope Francis died on the 21st of last month.
The pope's enthronement is 'Leo XIV'. In Catholicism, 'Leo' means 'Lion' in Latin, symbolizing strength, courage, and leadership.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that the new pope's name 'Leo XIV' means inheriting Pope Leo III (1878-1903), who emphasized labor rights and social justice at the end of the 19th century.
Born in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV was ordained a priest in 1982 and was the first pope from the order of St. Augustine. Although he is a U.S. national, he has served as a missionary in Peru for 20 years, acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and was appointed Archbishop of Peru the same year. In 2023, Pope Francis was appointed Bishop of the Holy See to manage and supervise the selection of new bishops. In particular, it is evaluated that Pope Francis led the reform measures that included three women for the first time in the voting group that determines the list of bishop candidates. He is also a close aide to Pope Francis, but he is theologically centrist, so he is considered to be a balance between reformists and conservatives in the church.
Analysts say that Leo XIV's footsteps on the fringes, such as slums, acted as an element of Pope's election even in the atmosphere of tabooing the Pope of American origin, to the extent that there is an evaluation of Leo XIV as the `most un-American.'
Leo XIV, who is known to speak Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French as well as English, came out to the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica after the election was confirmed and made his first remarks in Italian and Spanish, excluding English, saying, "'May peace be with you all' (La pace sia con tutti voi). It was then finished in Latin according to the tradition of the first apostolic blessing given to people all over the world, 'Urbi et Orbi' (Urbi et Orbi, Latin for 'Roma and all over the world).
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on social networking services that `It is a real honor to know that he is the first American pope.' `I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV," he said. President Trump also drew criticism by posting an AI composite image of himself dressed as Pope on social media on the 2nd. He is also said to have supported Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the New York diocese ahead of the pope's election.
According to the New York Times, Leo XIV has publicly expressed his criticism of the Trump administration's immigrant deportation policy until recently. Analysts say that he was critical of the Trump administration's policies, including articles criticizing the Trump administration's immigration policy and sharing that Vice President JD Vance justified immigration policy by misinterpreting Catholic doctrines on social media.
As the first American pope was born, interest in the symbolic and political relationship with Trump and other U.S. politicians is also high.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
