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The match between the pair was so perfect that the men now believe they could be distantly related, as both their families hail from Preston, Lancashire – the town they chose for their emotional first meeting.

"We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably," the university said.

Leo is just the second pope in history to hail from the Americas.

If the sole predictor of who would become the next Pope was where the Catholic Church is growing fastest, then it is almost certain he would hail from Africa.

When the Argentine-born Pope Francis was chosen at the previous conclave in 2013, he became the first pontiff ever to hail from South America, a region that accounts for roughly 28% of the world's Catholics.