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The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV participated in the midterm elections by sending a vote as a US citizen, becoming the first Pope in history to vote in a US general election. It also attracted attention from the outside world regarding his political stance and past voting record.
born in chicagoPope Leo XIV (Pope Leo XIV), although he is already the leader of the global Catholic Church and head of state at the Vatican, still retains his American citizenship. The Vatican confirmed on the 30th that Pope Leo XIV had participated in the US midterm elections on November 3 via mail-in ballots, becoming the first person in history to win a US election.vote The Pope is writing a new page in history.
The Associated Press reported that his real name was Robert. Robert Prevost’s Leo XIV was born in Chicago and holds dual citizenship of the United States and Peru. The Vatican press office issued a statement on the 30th, saying that the Pope has exercised his right to vote as an American citizen and has participated in voting in the past as long as he has been eligible.
The Vatican said the Pope believes that citizens not only have the right to participate in the democratic process, but also have an obligation to fulfill their civic responsibilities.
This year’s election is being closely watched in Pope’s home state of Illinois. Voters will decide whether current Governor J.B. Whether Pritzker is re-elected to a third term and whether a replacement for retiring Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is chosen.
News of the Pope’s participation in the voting was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. The report quoted the chief of staff of the Will County Clerk’s Office as saying that Pope’s current registered voter address is in New Lenox, a southwest suburb of Chicago, and that he had applied for a mail-in ballot on October 3.
It is worth noting that just 10 days after Pope applied for a mail-in ballot, he underwent surgery to remove a lung cancer tumor on his right side. He was released from the hospital on 17 October and is currently gradually resuming his activities at the Vatican.
It is unclear how the Pope will return the ballot. However, his brother John. John Prevost is in Rome this week with parishioners of St. Jude’s Church in New Lenox, Illinois, on a visit to the Vatican.
According to records kept by the Illinois State Election Commission, Robert. Prevost has run in five primaries since 2000, receiving the Democratic vote twice and the Republican vote three times.
Records show he received Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010 while living in a Democratic ticket warehouse in Cook County. After moving to Will County, which has more conservative political stances, he received Republican primary votes in 2012, 2014, and 2016. However, records do not show which candidates he actually supported.
Records also show that, except for 2020 and 2022, Prevost has run in every general election in the United States since 2000.
After Pope Leo XIV became Pope, he was criticized by President Trump for repeatedly criticizing the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran and calling on the US government to treat immigrants with dignity. Trump earlier this year criticized the Pope, calling him “weak” and saying he was controlled by the “radical left.”
Facing public criticism from Trump, Pope Leo XIV told reporters en route to Algeria in April this year that he was not afraid of the Trump administration and would not stop delivering the gospel message because of political pressure.
However, the public dispute between the two sides has gradually subsided in recent months.
Although Pope Leo XIV was in the Vatican, he always paid close attention to local and national politics in the United States, and he was not shy about expressing his stance on major public policies. In response to the Trump administration’s strengthening of immigration enforcement and mass deportation policies, he has repeatedly called on American society to consider that immigrants should be treated humanely and respectfully.
On the issue of capital punishment, Pope Leo XIV also reiterated the official position of the Catholic Church that capital punishment is “unacceptable”. On the other hand, Pope Leo XIV also publicly expressed “great dismay” over the passage of a law allowing medically assisted dying in his home state of Illinois in 2025. The Catholic Church has long opposed medically assisted suicide, arguing that such measures violate the principle of protecting the dignity of life.
