Pope Leo XIV live: New American pontiff Robert Prevost to hold first Mass amid claims he’s ‘anti-Trump’
Pope Leo XIV is preparing to celebrate his first Mass as the leader of the Catholic Church as congratulatory messages poured in for making history as the first American-born pontiff.
The 69-year-old former Robert Prevost was chosen to be the 267th pope by the Conclave on Thursday after more than two-thirds of the cardinals voted for him to succeed the late Pope Francis.
Pope Leo will hold the Mass with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel at 11am (8am British time) on Friday, during which he will deliver his first homily as Pope.
The pope prayed for peace in his first official remarks, but his words come against a backdrop of deadly wars, a long shadow of abuse within the church he now leads, and chaos and division at home under the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump celebrated the Chicago-born cardinal’s papacy as a “great honour for our country,” while world leaders also reacted to the “historic day.”
However, the right-wing media figures and MAGA provocateurs decried his election after it was revealed that he had publicly criticised vice president JD Vance and expressed sympathy for immigrants and George Floyd.
