Pope Leo XIV casts mail-in ballot in US midterm elections
publishers 25articles 26first reported 30 Oct, 16:01 UTCdeveloping since 30 Oct · 3 editions
Pope Leo XIV has voted by mail in the U.S. midterm elections, becoming the first sitting pontiff known to cast a ballot in a U.S. election, the Vatican said Friday.
Leo, a U.S. citizen born in Chicago, submitted his vote in Illinois ahead of Election Day on November 3. Before becoming pope, he was known as Robert Prevost. He was elected last year following the death of Pope Francis, becoming the Catholic Church’s first American leader.
The Vatican said Leo “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so,” including while living in Peru, where he served for years as a missionary. It added that the pope believes citizens have both a right and a duty to participate in democratic processes.
According to The Guardian, Leo requested a mail-in ballot on October 3 and registered at an address in New Lenox, Illinois. The request came 10 days before surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. He has gradually resumed activities since leaving the hospital on October 17.
The Vatican did not disclose how Leo voted.
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