China on Friday congratulated the newly elected Pope Leo XIV and expressed hope for a “steady” improvement in relations with the Vatican.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian stated this while speaking with reporters in the Chinese capital.

According to Lin, he hopes that under the new Pope’s leadership, the Vatican will continue dialogue with China in a constructive spirit, deepen communication on international issues of mutual concern.

He also expressed hope that they would continue to work together to steadily advance China-Vatican relations, while contributing to global peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

The Vatican on Tuesday announced that American Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected as the new Pope, taking the name Leo XIV.

He is the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church.

In 2024, Beijing had extended a provisional agreement with the Holy See by four years regarding the appointment of bishops.

The agreement which allows both sides to have a role in selecting bishops for China’s Catholic community, which numbers around 12 million in the world’s second most populous countr. (AA/NAN)

The Vatican on Friday announced that Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration will take place on May 18 with a mass in St. Peter’s Square, following his election to succeed Pope Francis.

The ceremony is to take place at 10a.m (0800 GMT) May 18 at the Vatican.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the first U.

The new pope is set to keep Francis’ top employees in the Vatican in place for the time being, the Holy See said.

The first of his weekly general audiences is planned for May 21. (dpa/NAN)

The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.

The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.

Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.

Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.

He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.

In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome

He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)(www.nanne

The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.

The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.

Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.

Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.

He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.

In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome

He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)