Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday congratulated Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, for being elected pope of the Catholic Church.
“Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic community worldwide. I wish the first pope from the United States success in fostering hope and reconciliation among all faiths,” wrote Netanyahu on X.
The new pope is also a Peruvian citizen and was previously archbishop of Peru.
Most recently, he was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, “one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church,” the Associated Press reported, as “the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog 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.”
