Speaking to EWTN News Nightly anchor Catherine Hadro on Monday, Rooney — also a former U.S. representative — said that Leo will be a “fantastic Pope” because he “can communicate with people in a very clear but nonthreatening way.”

In a letter to Rabbi Noam Marans of the American Jewish Committee, Pope Leo XIV expressed his intention to strengthen Catholic-Jewish relations.

South Philadelphia pastor Rev. Paul Galetto once lived with Pope Leo XIV at a home for the Augustinian order in the city of Rome.

White smoke billowed over the Vatican on Thursday to signal a cardinal has been elected as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church. Why it matters: The newly elected pope, who has not yet been publicly named,

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been named the first American pope, selected Thursday by 133 cardinals from across the globe on the second day of the papal conclave in Rome. The new pontiff, who will go by the name Leo XIV, greeted the thousands who jammed St. Peter’s Square from the red velvet-draped central balcony at St. Peter’s Square.

American Catholics who traveled to Rome spoke to "CBS Mornings" about what they want the next pope to represent as they prepare to witness history.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to attend the inaugural Mass of newly elected Pope Leo at the Vatican on Sunday, war commitments permitting, a top presidential aide told Reuters on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Rome to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration mass and meet with foreign leaders.

In a historic decision, the Roman Catholic Cardinals have elected the first American pope, and one Raleigh couple found themselves in the midst of the excitement while vacationing in Rome.

Around two hundred foreign delegations are expected for the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XIV, officials said after a meeting of the Provincial Committee for Order and Security at the prefecture in Rome Tuesday.