PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has extended his warm congratulations to Catholics around the world and in Malaysia on the election of Pope Leo XIV.
Describing it as a historic moment, Anwar said the occasion marked a new chapter for the global Catholic community.
“I am confident it will be a source of renewed purpose and inspiration,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Anwar also said the country valued its ties with the Holy See, and is looking forward to continued engagement rooted in mutual respect, dialogue, and shared commitment to peace and human dignity.
The Papal Conclave has elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome on Thursday (May 8).
Prevost, 69, of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, is the first American-born pontiff and and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV.
He succeeded Argentine reformer Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88.
