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Pope Leo XIV to Lead His First Mass Hours After the Historic Election as the First American Pope in History; Russian President to Lead Victory Day Parade Before World Leaders, U.S., U.K. Announce Trade Deal. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 09, 2025 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

It's the choice almost no one thought would happen. U.S. born Cardinal Robert Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts world leaders in Moscow at Russia's annual World War II Victory Day parade. China's president is among them, while in the background, Ukraine's president is calling for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia.

And the U.S. and the U.K. reach a trade deal, although the lack of reported details leaves more questions than answers.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

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BRUNHUBER: You hear them there, screams of excitement as the white smoke poured from the famous Vatican chimney two days into the conclave, and then after tremendous suspense came the big announcement.

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CARDINAL DOMINIQUE MAMBERTI, PROTODEACON OF THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS (translated): We have a pope. Lord Robert Francis, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Prevost

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Habemus Papam means we have a pope in Latin. With a wave and a smile, the new Pope Leo XIV was unveiled to the world.

American Cardinal and Chicago native Robert Prevost was the surprise pick few saw coming. The dual U.S.-Peruvian national addressed the huge crowd in St. Peter's Square.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, BISHOP-ELECT OF ROME (through translator): Peace be with you all.

Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greetings of the resurrected Christ, the good shepherd who has given up his life for God.

And I should also like this greeting of peace to enter our hearts, and your families, and to all those people, wherever they are, all peoples throughout the world. Peace be with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And we will soon hear more from Pope Leo when he celebrates mass at the Sistine Chapel in about two hours with the cardinals who elected him.

All right, let's go now to CNN's Ben Wedemann, who's been following closely. So Ben, take us through the latest reaction there in Rome.

BEN WEDEMANN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, we were here in St. Peter's Square yesterday, Kim, when his name was announced, and it was a surprise.

A surprise that for the first time the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church is an American. And that was a shock for many.

And certainly what we're seeing in the newspapers here in Rome this morning, just a simple headline in "Il Messaggero," Il Papa Americano, the American pope. That's it.

With an emphasis, however, on it is time, now is the time to build bridges. Certainly there is something of a contrast being made with the current American president who wants to build walls.

Here, "La Repubblica," the same headline, Il Papa Americano. And here we have "Corriere della Sera", another Italian daily. Again, Il Papa Americano, pace, peace, because of course he said the word peace multiple times during his address to the massive crowd that we saw in St. Peter's Square.

So certainly there is surprise that an American was chosen because he was -- although he was among sort of the top 20 possible choices, he was not considered the most papabile. But as you've probably heard on CNN and elsewhere many times, those who go into the conclave thinking they're going to be pope leave as a cardinal. And certainly he was not considered to be one of the top candidates.

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But certain -- definitely is going to change the atmosphere here in Rome. Now, having said that, he is clearly a man who has an international perspective, having worked for many years in Peru with poor communities, as we saw, to the surprise of many -- sorry, they're installing new barriers here, so it's a bit noisy.

As we saw yesterday, he is fluent in Italian, fluent in Spanish. This is a man who's clearly been around. He understands the plight of the poor. We've seen that in the past that he has been critical of some of the positions taken by, for instance, U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as his Vice President, J.D. Vance.

Some are suggesting that he was chosen particularly because he can act as sort of the anti-Trump, a counterbalance to the current administration in the United States. But certainly, by and large, I can tell you the reaction in one word to the election of Robert Prevost as Leo XIV was surprise among everyone who was here. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's right. Certainly a consistent theme in those headlines. Perhaps not a surprise.

Ben Wedemann, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

All right, we want to give you a little more context on the new leader of the Catholic Faithful.

He's a member of the Augustinian religious order and is expected to build on the reforms of his predecessor, Pope Francis. While leading the Vatican Bishop's Office, then Cardinal Robert Prevost said he still considers himself a missionary. Here he is.

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CARDINAL ROBERT PREVOST, THEN-PREFECT, DICASTERY FOR BISHOPS: Pope Francis has reminded us many times a bishop is called to serve. His authority is service. And so to look for different ways in which a bishop can serve in any given society, in any given church, I think is very important.

The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them and to look for ways that he can better live the gospel message in the midst of his people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And I want to bring in Miles Pattenden, who's a historian of the Catholic Church at Oxford University and joins us now from Rome. Good to see you. Thank you so much for being here with us.

Certainly plenty of activity there in Rome. Must be an amazing time to be there. So just to start, to build on what our correspondent was talking about there, why do you think the Cardinals chose an American at this particular time with everything that's going on politically here?

MILES PATTENDEN, HISTORIAN OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: Well, good morning, Kim. And yes, it has been a very exciting time in Rome here over the last 24 hours. I mean, there was a certain palpable shock when Cardinal Prevost's

name was announced in St. Peter's Square yesterday. But I think a lot of us had been hearing quite a lot of rumor behind the scenes that he was someone the Cardinals had been looking at very seriously because he ticked a lot of boxes for what they were looking for.

The only thing against him, in a way, was the fact that he was American. And there has been this long standing, reflexive anti- Americanism in the Vatican, the sense that America already has enough power in the world without also giving it the papacy.

But my sense is that the obvious candidate, the Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin, his cause had sort of stalled over the past week or so, and people were casting around for an alternative who could unite the different factions and interest groups in the Church.

And Prevost seemed to be the man, as you've heard from your reporting. He was someone who had experience as a pastor in a parish in a diocese -- running a diocese in Peru.

But he also had experience of the Roman Curia, working in the Vatican as the head of the Department for Bishops. He knew all the bishops and all the cardinals around the world.

So that gave him a great advantage of name recognition in this process. And in the end, all that worked out very well for him.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, as we can see, to build on that, he seems to have many progressive views. So how do you think he appealed to the more moderate or conservative members?

PATTENDEN: Well, I think he appealed to a lot of cardinals from the global South because of his work as a missionary and because, you know, effectively he's become an adopted Peruvian as much as he is American. And one thing I thought was quite significant about his first greeting to the world last night was there was no English in that he spoke in Italian and he spoke in Spanish.

He was kind of trying to downplay his American roots in a certain way. But there was also -- there has been a sense that actually we don't know all that much about his views on a lot of subjects. People have already dredged up his retweeting of certain kinds of criticisms of the Trump administration, although he hasn't himself, I think, said that directly.

He's just kind of amplifying the views of others. And you might interpret that as a kind of loyalty to Pope Francis, who was one of Donald Trump's most outspoken critics.

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But we just have to wait and see what he really thinks. Like a lot of successful leaders in the church, he's managed to master a certain kind of strategic ambiguity, kind of hinting at his views without ever really stating them outright. So we just have to wait and see how his papacy develops on that score. BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely.

In the meantime, I want to build on something you mentioned there about the fact that he said that he always had a missionary focus. I mean, what does that mean? Because he may not want to be a prince, as he called it, and he wants to serve. But I mean, the reality is he's still fairly insulated from the rest of the world. So how will all of that impact him in his mission?

PATTENDEN: Well, I mean, I'm sure it impacts anyone to be elected pope and to have to serve in that role. But I think what he's expressing is an ideal, and it's an ideal based on the lived experience that he had over several decades in a pretty deprived part of northern Peru.

I mean, inevitably, you know, being pope is going to change him. But I think the fact that he adhered to those ideals and lived them, that was a key part of his appeal to a lot of candidates who were quite sceptical of kind of cardinals from Europe and North America, who ultimately quite finally attuned to the debates and concerns of their own congregations, but perhaps less so to people around the rest of the world, often who are struggling and live in conditions of great material poverty and who see the Catholic Church as both a resource and an inspiration for their lives in a very different way to those of us here.

BRUNHUBER: You talked about sort of we'll have to wait and see about how he might bump up against the Trump administration and President Trump specifically. More broadly, though, what do you think his biggest challenges will be?

PATTENDEN: Well, I think the church has an enormous array of challenges right now. And one of the most obvious initial ones is to get the Vatican itself into order.

The Vatican's finances are certainly said to be in a certain degree of chaos after 12 years of Pope Francis, who, for all his many commendable qualities, was not really a man made to be an administrator. And there is a sense that the new pope needs to get a grip on that quite fast.

But then there is the kind of broader question in what direction does he take the Catholic Church into a new era of modernity? Does he double down on the attempt to grow the church across the world and to bring in new faithful? Or does he try and change church teaching in a way, particularly social teaching, in order to try and keep hold of more of the Catholic faithful in North America and in Europe who are increasingly deserting the church?

Because ultimately, there's too big a gap between their views and the church's doctrines on these kinds of subjects.

BRUNHUBER: Plenty of challenges ahead, as you say, Miles Pattenden in Rome. Thank you so much for speaking with us. I really appreciate it.

PATTENDEN: Thank you. BRUNHUBER: Well, the U.S. president posted online that he looks

forward to meeting new Pope Leo XIV and predicted it will be a very meaningful moment.

Later at the White House, Donald Trump further congratulated the first American pope. Here he is.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: What greater honor could there be? And we were a little bit surprised, very happy, but just a great, absolutely great honor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And former U.S. President Joe Biden says he's happy to see Leo make history as the first North American pope. Biden was only the second Catholic elected to the U.S. presidency. He spoke exclusively to CNN after the new pope was elected and asked whether he had expected to see a pope from the United States during his lifetime.

The former president said, well, it doesn't surprise me, but pleases me a great deal. He said he had high hopes for the new leader of the church. Here he is.

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JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I think it's great. I think he's a good -- he was a good friend of Francis.

Yes, you know, I think he's going to keep moving the church in a direction of being more ecumenical and reaching out. I think that's all good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Russia has already declared a three day unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine, but Washington and Kyiv want more. The phone call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy just ahead.

Plus, Russia is celebrating the allies World War II victory over Nazi Germany. We'll have a look at the mighty military parade and the special guests on hand in Moscow. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Donald Trump is voicing his support for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire on Russia's war on Ukraine. He spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone on Thursday, threatening additional sanctions on Moscow if the truce isn't respected. Zelenskyy proposed the plan even as Russia announced its own three day

unilateral ceasefire coinciding with World War II Victory Day celebrations.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): A ceasefire are lasting and reliable, will be a real indicator of movement towards peace. America can help with this. The world needs America now, just as it did 80 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Russian President Vladimir Putin is celebrating Victory Day with a huge military parade today in Moscow. The annual holiday is considered the most sacred day on the Russian calendar. A number of dignitaries friendly with Russia are attending, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met with Putin on Thursday.

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Leaders from Brazil, Belarus, Serbia and Slovakia are also on hand.

CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments live from London. So, Clare, as we see Putin speaking there live, walk us through what we've been seeing and its significance.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kim, look, this is an incredibly important day in the Russian calendar. You cannot avoid it. There are Victory Day posters, banners, symbols up everywhere, all across the Russian capital and beyond, all across the country.

Trying to avoid Victory Day in Russia would be like trying to avoid Christmas, and especially this year when it is the 80th anniversary.

But I think the really striking thing, as you pointed out this year, is the number of foreign dignitaries who are there, 29 foreign leaders. The Russian state media has said that's including the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, who walked in with President Putin. Absolutely no doubt that he is the guest of honor here.

Two E.U. leaders are also there from Serbia and Slovakia, despite E.U. warnings to its members not to attend. Very striking to see them, by the way, wearing the St. George ribbon. This is a symbol of Victory Day that is very much being co-opted by the Russian army in Ukraine.

And of course, some of them are not just looking on. We know that some foreign military contingents will be part of the parade, including an honor guard from the Chinese People's Liberation Army. So I think this optically certainly is a huge political win for President Putin.

But this is also for Russia a real propaganda opportunity at home. He's speaking now and we expect, as in past years, he will, sort of, paint Russia's current army, some of which are participating in this parade, as the heirs to the Red Army that pushed Hitler's military back all the way to Berlin in 1945. As we know, he has falsely claimed that Russia is fighting against Nazism in Ukraine.

But the other part of this to bear in mind is that the backdrop this year is one of significant security concerns. Ukraine, its President has said that he could make no guarantees to foreign dignitaries attending the parade. And of course, for three consecutive nights this week, we saw drone attacks hitting Russia and especially Moscow, where the airports underwent significant disruption.

So I think that is a real part of the backdrop here. But Russia will be glossing over that, banking this propaganda win at home and this political win with all these foreign dignitaries there on the world stage. And of course, glossing over the losses that it's experiencing in Ukraine and the fact that now with this war stretching into its fourth year, it has failed to conclude militarily. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, the context is so important to highlight as you've done there. Clare Sebastian in London. Thank you so much.

All right, for more on this, I want to go to Alexander Baunov, who's a visiting fellow at the European University Institute and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace speaking to us from Madrid. Good to see you again.

So to build on what we were just hearing there, what symbolic significance do you think does President Xi being at the celebrations have for both domestic Russian audiences and the international community? What message is he sending?

ALEXANDER BAUNOV, VISITING FELLOW, EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE, AND SR. FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: It's very important, first of all, for Vladimir Putin, as even in the Soviet time and in early Putin's years, the presence of global leaders on the tribunes of the military parade was interpreted as a sport of the current Russian regime.

It was played during the Soviet time and it was played by Putin increasingly.

Yes, can you hear me?

BRUNHUBER: So I can hear you. Yes. So, beyond this --

BAUNOV: And in the in the previous decades, we saw big numbers of Western leaders, global leaders during this parade, during the celebration alongside Vladimir Putin and Russian officials. Now, Xi Jinping is somehow and Lula da Silva Brazil and presidents of the so- called primary leaders of the so-called global south are substituting this Western presence and showing to the Russian citizens that their country is not isolated and Vladimir Putin is doing well diplomatically, internationally.

BRUNHUBER: OK, but beyond the symbolism, then the public displays of unity with China, what concrete economic or strategic outcomes do you think might derive from this, especially in the context of the war on Ukraine?

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BAUNOV: Well, Xi Jinping was at least openly, as far as we can judge from what he was saying during his current visit to Moscow, is not wishing to be to (inaudible) his presence to be interpreted as a support, open support of the Russian war against Ukraine.

So the parties and the official statement stress that underline that their cooperation, the highest in the history, the best in the history. It was said another time that the relations between Russia and China are brilliant and we're not at these highest points at any time before, but it's not directed against anybody.

So it's just the cooperation, not directed against anybody. Meaning, I mean, I interpret this this way that Xi Jinping, even when visiting Moscow during this celebration, doesn't want to be involved directly and seen as directly supportive for this war.

But what happens? We see parading, of course, the normal military units of Russian military in the Red Square. But we see as well that the columns of the units who -- which participated in the so-called special military operations, so basically the fighters, the soldiers who fought, they are fighting now currently in Ukraine.

And this presence on the tribune during the parade is a sort of legitimizing this war, international legitimacy, giving international legitimacy to this war. Again, in the eyes of Russian citizens who are watching the parade, but in the eyes of Russian leadership, too.

BRUNHUBER: This week, a European Commission spokesperson said China is the key enabler of Russia's war in Ukraine and that without China's support, Russia wouldn't be able to wage the war to the same extent. Do you agree? How important is China to Putin's war?

BAUNOV: I cannot but agree with this because the Russian dependency on China increased in many times, especially in import and high tech import in, well, in all manufactured goods. The Russian dependency on China after 2022 increased, multiplied, increased many times, multiplied, for instance, in all car industry have been substituted by Chinese car industry in a matter of a couple of years.

And maybe it well -- it goes both to the military industry, but you have to substitute as well what has disappeared from the normal market, from the market for the citizens and to normalize the life of Russian citizens during the war. And China helps enormously to normalize the life of Russian citizens or the Russian citizens during the war.

BRUNHUBER: Well, I really appreciate getting your expert analysis on all of this. Alexander Baunov in Madrid. Thank you so much.

BAUNOV: O.K.

BRUNHUBER: There's been new cross-border fire between India and Pakistan. It's raising fears the two nuclear armed rivals are on the brink of a wider conflict. New video shows damage in the aftermath of attacks overnight in India. The Indian army says it repelled multiple attacks on Pakistani drones and other munitions along the line of control, which is the de facto border in disputed Kashmir. Pakistan says it destroyed several Indian army checkpoints along the border in response to what it calls unprovoked firing from the Indian side.

Now, in his first public comments on the crisis, India's prime minister called for continued alertness.

I want to bring in journalist Vedika Sud who's covering all of this live from Delhi. Good to see you again, Vedika. With tensions heating up, where do things stand right now?

VEDIKA SUD, JOURNALIST: Well, every morning there is some development through the night that we bring to you. And that's what we're going to do today as well. India and Pakistan are trading blame over overnight attacks that have taken place.

In fact, the Indian military has come out with a statement and they have accused Pakistan of sending in munition and missiles from across the border in the northwestern region. And they have said that they targeted military establishments in these areas, a charge that Pakistan has denied repeatedly.

I want to also now bring up a statement on X from the Indian Defense Ministry. And I'm going to quote from that statement.

The Indian Defense Ministry said, and I quote them here, "Military stations at Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani- origin drones and missiles along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir today. The threats were swiftly neutralized."

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Now, CNN has spoken to people living in these areas who witnessed what had happened overnight local time. And they said that the situation around them was full of panic and there was palpable tension.

I also want to draw your attention to visuals that we're now going to bring up of the damage, the intense damage done to property of residents and to schools along the line of control on the Indian side. You have villagers who've gone back into those areas that were hit due to cross-border shelling overnight. And you can see the damage done to the property there.

CNN again spoke to residents of that area. And one young man spoke to CNN saying that he moved out with some family members while others stayed back. And about 50 to 60 of them were in just one bunker while that heavy cross-border shelling took place.

Now, let's just talk to you about the international community. I want to start with a statement coming in from the U.S. Vice President.

He did say that he is worried about the situation in the South Asian region. But he also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can't control these countries, though.

Fundamentally, India has its gripes with Pakistan. Pakistan has responded to India. What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit.

But we're not going to get involved in the middle of a war that's fundamentally none of our business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: In other developments from within India, civil servants have been asked not to go on leave over the next few days, and also there's a high alert that has been issued in most of the airports across the country. Back to you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: I appreciate you bringing us the latest on this. Vedika Sud live in Delhi. Thank you so much.

Students at a Catholic university in the U.S. have an extra reason to be excited about Pope Leo XIV. He's an alumnus of their school, in fact, this is his picture from his college yearbook. We'll have that story ahead.

Plus, we'll speak with a close friend of the new pontiff about their work together as missionaries in Peru. We'll have that and much more after the break. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom." Let's check today's top stories.

Catholics around the world are rejoicing about their new Pope. Leo XIV is the first American to be elected as pontiff. In his first address in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo called on people to show charity to others, and he vowed that the church will be one that builds bridges and dialogue.

Russia is holding a massive military parade today, marking 80 years since the Allies' defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders friendly to Moscow to attend the Victory Day celebrations.

The Indian Army says it repelled multiple attacks from Pakistani drones and other munitions along the line of control the de facto border in disputed Kashmir. Pakistan says it destroyed several Indian Army checkpoints along the border in response to what it calls unprovoked firing from the Indian side.

Well, for some people in the U.S., Leo XIV isn't only a Pope, he's also a fellow Villanovan. He earned his undergraduate degree at Villanova University near Philadelphia. Now, this photo is from his college yearbook.

As Danny Freeman reports, current students are thrilled that one of their alums will lead the church.

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DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, before Pope Leo XIV became Pope, before he became a Cardinal, before he even became a Priest, he was here, just outside of Philadelphia at Villanova University as an undergraduate. He was pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics; he graduated with that degree in 1977. Also, he got an honorary doctorate in humanities in 2014 as well.

And I'll just tell you, all day on Thursday, there was a tremendous amount of pride, just beaming from this university, from faculty members, from students alike, and I'm just going to read part of a statement that was put out by the university's president. Again, just so proud that one of their alums is now the Pope.

The statement reads, "With today's election of his holiness, Pope Leo XIV, I cannot help but reflect on what his Augustinian papacy will mean to our university community and our world. Known for his humility, gentle spirit, prudence, and warmth, Pope Leo XIV's leadership offers an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our educational mission."

Again, a statement from Reverend Peter M. Donohue, the president of Villanova University.

But again, not just the president, not just the administration, not just the faculty, even students were so, so proud of this moment as well. Take a listen to what some students told me when they heard the news and what it really meant to them.

UNKNOWN: It's just been such like an overwhelming amount of joy and it's like just like a shared community joy.

UNKNOWN: All my family's from Philly and my mom went here, so there's just a big legacy of Villanova and everyone cares so much and we're so excited for the new Pope.

FREEMAN: A tremendous amount of pride, certainly a day that so many are not going to forget, and really the folks here on campus believe that Pope Leo XIV will continue the tradition instilled here in Villanova University of Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas, truth, unity, and love.

Danny Freeman, CNN, Villanova University, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: And for more on this, I want to bring in Father Art Purcaro, who's an Augustinian Friar, the assistant vice president of mission and ministry at Villanova University, a close friend of Pope Leo XIV, and he joins us by phone.

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Great to have you on. So listen, knowing him as you do, did you ever think to yourself, hmm, this man could be a Pope someday?

FR. ART PURCARO, FRIEND OF POPE LEO XIV, SAN GIMIGNANO, ITALY (on the phone): Perhaps most recently, but always, Bob was such a good person, a solid, spiritual, deeply spiritual person, but you knew he was doing good, and other people recognize the way he's had decisions of leadership, both in the Augustinian community as well as in the church and now for the world.

So, inklings that he might be Pope someday? Probably not, but that's going beyond the pale, but certainly knowing that this is somebody who truly helps us understand who Jesus Christ is and his message of love for all.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so take me to that moment, then, when it was announced. Where were you, and how did you welcome in this news?

PURCARO (on the phone): Well, I had been with the then-Cardinal Prevost the week before, because we celebrated together my 50th anniversary of ordination in St. Peter's Square at Pope Francis' funeral. We had planned this before Pope Francis got sick, and then my family came to celebrate with us, and I came up with them.

I am in Tuscany, in San Gimignano, a community here. The building has been here since 1279, and we've been here, not the persons, but the Augustinian Order, been here. So, when I was here with my family and the Augustinian community, white smoke, we sat around, who is it going to be?

And utter awe, disbelief, but pride and joy that for the world, for us, that we have God to be able to speak to us through somebody who's so good, who still cares about each and every human being. It's a great pleasure and a great pride for all of us.

BRUNHUBER: I can only imagine. So, we've now read so many pieces about him, exploring his history, his background. What isn't in the files? What can you tell us about him that we might not already know?

PURCARO (on the phone): I've seen, heard a few comments of this latter sportsperson, and about for so long that he's human, as I say, he cares very much about people.

On the other side of the coin, Bob likes to cook, he loves to drive. When we worked together here in Rome, he would not steer away from the possibility of having to drive to some place where others perhaps would enjoy flying.

So, it's something he enjoys as a person. But I think bottom line, what now Pope Leo XIV makes him a special person is his willingness to sacrifice, to be for, to serve others, recognizing their needs.

BRUNHUBER: Talk to me about that service. I mean, you served with him in Peru. How do you think his background and those experiences that you shared there might now influence him as Pope?

PURCARO (on the phone): Yes, I would doubt that. I believe they will. What brought then-father, Bob Prevost, to Peru, and now is part of the person who is Pope Leo, somebody who was willing to leave behind what other people would seek, an ambition to have more rather than to be more.

Bob was willing to step away from that and offer himself in service to build up the Peruvian Church, not to do for the people of Peru, but to do with them. And he worked so much with the young people there, particularly the young men in formation programs who now are priests, and some of whom are bishops in other parts of the world, due to that sacrifice on Pope Leo's part.

But what is very much part of the background of people who have had the privilege to work in Peru is understanding that we all have not benefited from all the things that God has created for everybody. When you see that, when you feel that, when you know how people suffer from great want, great need, and when you come home and you see how much we have, which is great. God blessed us with so many things.

But if people knew that they could share rather than accumulate, they could give and be more for others rather than to accumulate for themselves.

[03:45:03]

I think this is a method that Bob has learned there. And also, there's time (inaudible) how to be a caring person, a bridge builder, how to get people to come together and recognize differences.

And yet, being able to work together with common humanity. We are one family. We have one planet at the service of all of humanity, not just a few.

God created everything for everybody. So I think that comes from his background as a person, but certainly his time in Peru, and then his development and growth as leader of the Augustinian Order.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's a great message to end on. We really appreciate you sharing your insights into Pope Leo, who I guess for you will always be Bob. Father Art Purcaro, I really appreciate it. Thanks so much.

PURCARO (on the phone): Thank you as well. God bless.

BRUNHUBER: Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is touting a new trade deal with the U.K., calling it historic. We'll break it down for you next. Please stay with us.

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[03:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER: President Trump announced what he called a major trade deal with the U.K. on Thursday. Now, it could mean some possible relief from the President's historically high tariffs.

He calls it a full and comprehensive agreement, which will be followed by many deals with other countries. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The final details are being written up in the coming weeks. We'll have it all very conclusive, but the actual deal is a very conclusive one. We think just about everything's been approved.

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BRUNHUBER: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the deal will remove tariffs on steel and aluminum. It will also cut tariffs on British cars. Starmer said there are still some details that need to be ironed out, he also praised the deal and the relationship between both countries. Here he is.

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KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If you put that package together, you can see that it's a significant step in the right direction for our country and our national interest and for the very many thousands of jobs that will now be protected, saved and enhanced by the fact that we've done this deal.

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BRUNHUBER: As you can see, U.S. stocks closed slightly higher on Thursday after President Trump announced the deal and said he expects a good weekend of trade talks with China. CNN's Anna Stewart has more now on the agreement between the U.S. and the UK.

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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it wasn't perhaps the full and comprehensive deal touted by President Trump, but there is no doubt this is a victory for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, given it's the first so-called deal to be agreed with the new U.S. administration.

Many details remain to be finalized, but here's what we know so far. First of all, the 10 percent baseline tariff on UK exports to the U.S. remains. The focus here is on an easing of measures on specific sectors, and autos is a big one.

The U.K. will be able to export 100,000 cars per year to the U.S. at a tariff of 10 percent. That is significantly better than the current rate of 27.5 percent. But if you look back prior to President Trump taking office, it was just 2.5 percent. The U.K. and the U.S. will have a free trade zone when it comes to

steel and aluminum, with the U.K. actually joining the U.S. and imposing a 25 percent tariff on those metals being imported from anywhere else.

There is plenty more to be ironed out. The British Prime Minister was asked whether the deal was actually an improvement in the U.K.'s trading relationship with the U.S. prior to President Trump taking office, and this is what he said.

STARMER: The question you should be asking is, is it better than where we were yesterday?

STEWART: The implication being that a deal is better than no deal, but it may not be perfect.

Now, all eyes will be on talks between China and the U.S., the world's biggest economies, who remain locked in a much bigger trade war.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The election of the first Pope from the United States surprised many people, including his own family. Still ahead, a proud big brother tells us what to expect from the new Pope Leo. Stay with us.

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[03:55:00]

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BRUNHUBER: In Chicago, people are celebrating that one of their own is the new Pope. Chicago's mayor says one of the biggest moments in our modern history of our city, one of the Pope's childhood friends, shared her shock at the news. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Robbie, he was nice. He was nice.

I mean, who would think the Pope would come from here? I said, oh, a fat chance, you know.

And then I just got a text saying that he was the Pope. I thought, you've got to be kidding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And among the well-wishers to the new Pope, his big brother, John Prevost, shared photos of his childhood with the future pontiff and revealed to the "New York Times" that the family has creole roots in New Orleans. Here's how John Prevost reacted to the news that his little brother was elected to be the leader of the Catholic Church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN PREVOST, BROTHER OF POPE LEO XIV: Shock, disbelief, a whole lot of pride, a whole lot of, is this for real? He would have liked to go back to Peru and work with the missions because he had a deep feeling for the disenfranchised, for the poor, for those who were not listened to. And he had a very strong feeling.

And I think in that way, he will be a second Pope Francis. I think he'll follow right in his footsteps, working for the underprivileged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Kim Brunhuber, in Atlanta.

Our coverage continues with "Early Start" with Rahel Solomon after this break.

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