WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born head of the Catholic Church, as a “great honor” for the United States.

“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. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a conservative Catholic, said in a statement that the United States “looks forward” to building a working relationship with the new pope.

Trump later spoke to reporters outside the West Wing about the new pope, who hails from Chicago.

“To have the pope from America, that’s a great honor,” Trump said in brief remarks. “What greater honor could there be. We’re a little bit surprised but very happy.”

“We were watching, and they said he’s from the United States of America and I said ‘That’s great.'”

The US president said Vatican officials had “already spoken to us” about a meeting, adding “we’ll see what happens.”

Asked if he regretted recently posting an AI image of himself dressed in papal garb, Trump ignored the question and said: “What’s next?”

Trump had attended late pope Francis’s funeral in April with First Lady Melania Trump. He held ice-breaking talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on the sidelines of the ceremony.

But Trump had also joked last week that he would like to succeed Francis, saying “I’d like to be pope, that would be my number one choice.”

Trump went on to say he did not have a preference but that there was a cardinal in New York who was “very good” an apparent reference to Cardinal Timothy Dolan.