Scots have honoured the appointment of Pope Leo XIV with masses across the country.
Robert Prevost – who will be known as Pope Leo XIV – was named by the Vatican as the 267th Pope on Thursday.
The 69-year-old was born in Chicago and is the first American pope in history. He also has extensive experience in Peru as a missionary and later as an Archbishop.
The new pontiff is the religious leader of around 1.4 billion Catholics across the globe after the death of Pope Francis on April, 21.
STV NewsWorld leaders took to social media to congratulate Prevost on his appointment.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “I warmly welcome the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV and look forward to his leadership of humility, grace and respect.
“I know the Catholic community in Scotland and around the world will be joyful tonight.”
Pope Leo XIV held his first holy mass in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City on Friday.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, the new pope was given special recognition at masses across the country.
Archbishop of Glasgow, William Nolan, reflected on the appointment, saying he was “stunned” at the quick election of Pope Leo.
STV News“It was completely unexpected, I don’t think anyone was expecting an American to begin with, and he wasn’t one of the front runners,” he said.
“How the cardinals came to make that decision in such a quick space of time? I don’t know, it’s quite amazing,” he said.
He added: “I think we want the next pope to continue and reinforce what Pope Francis has done, and I think he will do that.”
Speaking on the Pope Leo’s choice of name, the archbishop said it showed his concern for “justice and fairness”.
STV News“I think we’re expecting the pope to have an influence beyond the church, Pope Francis certainly did and I think that’s very important,” he said.
Prevost was previously the Vatican’s prefect, overseeing the vetting of nominations from bishops around the world.
Francis appointed him to run the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014, a role he held until 2023, when he was brought to Rome.
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