Ilie Bolojan, the interim president of Romania, has sent his "warmest congratulations" to Pope Leo XIV in a message posted on X.

"Warmest congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV upon the election to the Chair of Saint Peter. May he have a long reign and guide the faithful all over the world with wisdom and inspiration, bringing hope and comfort to the many affected by wars and injustice," the message reads. 

Warmest congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV upon the election to the Chair of Saint Peter. May he have a long reign and guide the faithful all over the world with wisdom and inspiration, bringing hope and comfort to the many affected by wars and injustice. @Pontifex

— Ilie Bolojan (@Bolojan) May 8, 2025

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who chose the papal name of Leo, became the first US-born pope on Thursday, May 8. He also holds Peruvian citizenship, having spent many years as a missionary in the South American country.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, he studied at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers and then at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where he earned a Degree in Mathematics and also studied Philosophy. He then studied canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University (Angelicum) in Rome, after which he was sent to work in the mission of Chulucanas in Piura, Peru. He was appointed bishop of Chiclayo, the capital city of northwest Peru's Lambayeque region, in November 2014.

In 2023, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Prevost as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops, and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. 

(Photo: screen capture Vatican Media)

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