Araghchi offers congratulation to new pope

TEHRAN, May 10 (MNA) – Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi extended his congratulations to newly-elected Pope Leo XIV, and expressed hope that the new pope will strengthen the role of religious values in promoting justice, peace.

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10 May 2025

EghtesadOnline: In a message sent on Friday following the selection of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Araghchi offered his congratulations.

“At a time when the world is plagued as rarely before by injustice and cruelty, poverty and inequality, and war and bloodshed, the global attention to the election of a new pope reflects a shared hope for religion and religious teachings to safeguard lofty moral and human values and to prevent the dominance of moral vices over humanity,” Araghchi wrote in his message.

On Thursday, Cardinal Prevost was elected as the successor to the late Pope Francis after two days of discussions and voting among the cardinals. The new pope, named Leo XIV, is 69 years old and comes from Chicago, Illinois. He is the first American to lead the Catholic Church.

When Prevost was a cardinal, he dedicated many years to service in Latin America, spending a decade in Trujillo, Peru, and most recently, Prevost served as the bishop in Chiclayo from 2014 until 2023.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, known as Pope Francis, passed away at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke, following a recent recovery from pneumonia.