Before becoming pontiff, Pope Leo levied criticism at Trump and Vance

By Jeff Mason and Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The archetypal U.S. pope has immoderate thoughts astir the American president.

Pope Leo XIV, who was chosen connected Thursday, has a past of criticizing President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance's policies, according to posts connected the X relationship of Robert Prevost, his sanction earlier helium ascended to beryllium caput of the Catholic Church.

In February helium reposted an nonfiction with the pursuing headline: "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't inquire america to fertile our emotion for others."

In April, erstwhile Trump met with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to sermon utilizing a situation wherever alleged quality rights abuses took spot to jailhouse suspected pack members flown from the United States, Prevost reposted a remark that included: "Do you not spot the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed?"

Reuters could not instantly verify who operated the account, which made its archetypal station successful 2011. Reuters reached retired to the Vatican, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chiclayo successful Peru, wherever Prevost was based for years, and the Peruvian Embassy to the Holy See to corroborate the authenticity of the account, which has the grip @drprevost and includes posts calling for prayers for the precocious Pope Francis successful his last months.

Pope Leo is expected to travel successful the footsteps of Francis, a champion of the mediocre and of immigrants, who besides had his differences with the Trump administration. Vance, who met with Francis astatine the Vatican the time earlier helium died, played down those differences aft the meeting, but they were substantial. Francis had called Trump's migration policies a disgrace.

The U.S. president congratulated the caller Catholic leader.

"It is specified an grant to recognize that helium is the archetypal American Pope," Trump wrote connected his societal media platform. "What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look guardant to gathering Pope Leo XIV. It volition beryllium a precise meaningful moment!"

Vance, a Catholic, said helium was definite millions of American Catholics and different Christians would commune for Leo's success.

"May God bless him!" Vance wrote connected X.

White House officials did not connection further absorption and a spokeswoman for Vance pointed to his station connected X erstwhile asked for remark astir the criticisms connected Prevost's account.

The caller pope shares immoderate argumentation similarities with the Trump team. He opposes abortion, arsenic bash Trump and Vance. But helium supports enactment to combat clime change, according to a station urging followers to motion a Catholic clime petition. Trump removed the United States from the Paris clime accord that fights planetary warming.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Jasper Ward; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal and Rachael Kennedy; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Daniel Wallis)