New Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, once challenged Donald Trump and JD Vance over their treatment of migrants. Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, has used social media in recent years to express concern over how migrants and refugees were treated during Trump’s time in office.

Before being elected pope, he shared several posts on X that took aim at the Trump administration’s approach to immigration, including the controversial policy of separating families at the US border. In one post that Pope Leo XIV re-shared, the original author wrote: “There is nothing remotely Christian, American, or morally defensible about a policy that takes children away from their parents and warehouses them in cages. This is being carried out in our name and the shame is on us all.”

Another repost criticised the deportation of a US resident who was once undocumented, asking: “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”

The new pope also shared an opinion piece from the National Catholic Reporter earlier this year, which challenged comments made by US Vice President JD Vance.

The article was titled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” in response to remarks Vance made during an appearance on Fox News.

Despite the past criticism, Donald Trump welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s appointment with a message posted to Truth Social.

“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 wrote.

He added: “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!”

Pope Leo is originally from Chicago. However, the 69-year-old spent much of his life working overseas, particularly in Peru, where he served as a missionary before being appointed archbishop of Chiclayo in 2014. He later became a Peruvian citizen.

Seen as a moderate reformer aligned with Pope Francis, he was brought to Rome in 2023 to lead the Vatican’s influential Dicastery for Bishops, overseeing the selection of senior clergy across the globe.

He also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Despite keeping a low profile in the Vatican, he played a key role in one of Francis’s biggest reforms - helping to include women in the bishop appointment process for the first time.

One Vatican insider also told The Telegraph: “He was not one of the obvious candidates, but he knows everybody, he spent 30 years as a missionary, he has languages.

“His time in Peru means he is one of the least ‘American’ of the American cardinals. But he understands America and he can speak to the country, which is important in the Trump era.”