Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected the 267th pope and will soon step onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Prevost, 69, from Chicago, Illinois, is the first ever pope from the United States. He will be known as Leo XIV.

A leader with global experience, he spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments. He is expected to build on Pope Francis’ reforms.

He worked for a decade in Trujillo, Peru, and was later appointed bishop of Chiclayo, another Peruvian city, where he served from 2014 to 2023.

In an interview with Vatican News shortly after he became the leader of the Dicastery for Bishops, Prevost said: “I still consider myself a missionary. My vocation, like that of every Christian, is to be a missionary, to proclaim the Gospel wherever one is.”

U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated the pope and stated that “it is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope. What excitement, and what a great honor for our country.”

Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, congratulated the newly elected pope “on assuming this sacred and momentous responsibility—the first American pope.”

“I send you my warmest wishes from the holy city of Jerusalem,” Herzog stated. “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.”

Herzog wrote that he hopes the new 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,” he added.

Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state among several other Trump administration roles, extended “heartfelt congratulations” to the new pope “on his election as the 267th successor to Saint Peter.”

“This is a moment of profound significance for the Catholic Church, offering renewed hope and continuity amid the 2025 jubilee year to over 1 billion faithful worldwide,” Rubio stated. “The papacy carries a sacred and solemn responsibility.”

The secretary added that he and his wife are “united in prayer for his holiness,” and “the United States looks forward to deepening our enduring relationship with the Holy See with the first American pontiff.”

“As the first American pope in history and a proud Chicago native, your appointment marks a momentous occasion for America,” the Israel Heritage Foundation stated. “May your dedication to global peace and ecclesiastical reform inspire boundless hope and unity worldwide.”

Although the new pope has a Twitter account, “he has never tweeted the words ‘Israel,’ ‘Jewish,’ ‘Palestine’ or ‘Gaza,'” wrote Lahav Harkov, of Jewish Insider. “So no hot takes on that.” The new pope has shared messages that are critical of Trump on social media.

The new pope has reportedly cast a Republican vote in the most recent primary in Illinois.

PHOTO: Use according to Section 27 A