The Vatican on Friday confirmed that Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a US election.
He is also likely the first pontiff to vote is a democratic election, according to British historian Michael Walsh. "I don’t think popes have ever voted in a democratic election before," CNN quoted him as saying.
The Chicago-born pontiff, formerly known as Robert Prevost, is the first American pope. He had submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of midterm elections in November. Elected on May 18, 2025, he chose the name Leo XIV in honor of Pope Leo XIII, the historical pioneer of Catholic social teaching and worker's rights.
Citing his long-standing belief in civic participation, the Holy See press office said the pope "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen" and has done so "whenever he was eligible to do so."
The Vatican stated that Pope Leo had also voted while living in Peru whenever he was eligible. "The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," it added.
Earlier this month, the 69-year-old underwent a successful surgery at Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital to remove a localised cancerous nodule and the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican said he is now cancer-free and does not require additional treatment.
