President Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Thursday congratulated Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost after he was elected as the new pope, making him the first American to serve as the head of the Catholic Church.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

Trump spoke to reporters just outside the West Wing a short time later, calling it a “great honor” for the new pontiff to be American.

“I was watching it and they said, ‘he’s from America.’ I said, that’s great,” Trump said.

Vance also congratulated Pope Leo XIV via X.

“Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!” he wrote in a post.

Prevost, 69, is from Chicago and has largely worked in Peru. He is an Augustinian friar and graduated from Villanova University in 1977.

White smoke billowed from the Vatican on Thursday afternoon to denote that the conclave of Cardinals had chosen a new pope.

Pope Francis died last month at the age of 88, just hours after he met with Vice President Vance in Rome.

Updated at 2:42 p.m.