Catholic convert and US Vice President JD Vance has rallied behind the freshly elected Pope Leo XIV, despite the former American cardinal previously expressing critical views on MAGA policies and Vance's approach to religion.

The conclave on Thursday chose Robert Prevost as the first-ever North American pontiff of the Catholic Church. However, just a few months ago, he was sharing articles that were not flattering towards JD Vance on social media.

Nevertheless, both Vance and former President Donald Trump have welcomed the new pontifex maximus, with Vance posting: "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!"

Back in February, the now-Pope reposted an article lambasting Vance for his remarks about Christian love and whether this love is subject to family hierarchies. Since then, this particular post has gone viral, racking up over 3.5 million views following his ascent to the Papal office.

Before Vance made his statement, Trump had already taken to Truth Social to express his enthusiasm over the appointment of the first pope from North America, labelling it a "great honour."

On his platform, the Republican leader said: "Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope.

"It is such an honour to realise that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honour for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"

Pope Leo XIV has been quite active on social media over the past decade, often sharing articles and reposting content from others to express his views on Trump's second term as president, reports the MirrorUS.

His most recent repost was a critique of Trump's controversial immigration policies, shared from Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo.

"JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others", was the headline of the article from the National Catholic Reporter (NCR).

The piece delved into the online debate sparked by JD Vance's comments during a Fox News interview: "There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbour, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that prioritise the rest of the world, A lot of the far left has completely inverted that."

Author Kat Aarmas countered: "There's no doubt that Scripture speaks to our responsibility for family and community. But when it comes to something being 'biblical,' we have to be careful.

"Nearly anything can be found in Scripture if you're looking for it - stories of war, oppression, miracles and love, all written by people grappling with what it means to be faithful. The Bible is not a rigid manual but a living testimony of human wrestling with the divine."

White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney approximately at 6pm local time today (5pm UK time), indicating a much quicker decision than anticipated. It wasn't long after, roughly an hour and a half, that onlookers in St Peter's Square got their first sight of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope Leo XIV.

Hailing from Chicago, he takes his place in history as the first North American head of the Catholic Church, assuming his papacy at the age of 69 - seven years younger than Pope Francis was at the commencement of his papacy.

Prior to the conclave, there had been murmurs that the cardinal electors could hesitate to select a relatively young pope who might have an extended tenure.

Nonetheless, his 132 fellow cardinals reached a consensus on Cardinal Prevost within just 24 hours during the secret conclave meeting, elevating him to lead the global community of 1.4 billion Catholics. An Augustinian friar, the pope also holds Peruvian citizenship and has spent many years in Peru, serving both as a missionary and an archbishop.

Pope Francis often spoke out against war and divisiveness, and Pope Leo XIV demonstrated a similar ethos with his initial address. Speaking to the throngs gathered in St Peter's Square, he emphasised "Peace be with you," sharing a message steeped in peace, dialogue, and missionary evangelisation.

Unlike Pope Francis, he chose to don the traditional red cape of the papacy, a luxury his predecessor consistently avoided in line with his role. The new Pope previously held the position of prefect of the Vatican's influential Dicastery for Bishops, responsible for reviewing nominations for bishops globally.

In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him to oversee the diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, before bringing him to Rome in 2023. The new Pope has also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a region with a robust Catholic following.