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Pope Leo XIV cast his vote by mail in the U.S. midterm elections. As CNN points out, he becomes the first Pope to vote in a U.S. election and, likely, the first ever to vote in a secular democratic election.
The country will go to the polls on November 3 in the midterm elections that could reshape the House and Senate in the 'second half' of Donald Trump's presidency.
The Pontiff “exercised his right to vote as a citizen of the United States, every time he had the opportunity,” the Holy See Press Office announced, confirming that, “in line with this consolidated practice of civic participation, the Pope sent his ballot by mail to Chicago.”
The Pope, who is still a registered voter in the state of Illinois, as a US citizen living abroad, has requested to vote by mail. "The Holy Father also confirmed that, during the years he resided in Peru, he exercised his right to vote whenever possible. The Holy Father expresses his conviction regarding the right and duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," the Vatican explains.
CNN reports the words of Michael Walsh, a British historian and author who has written several books on the papacy: "I don't think popes have ever voted in a democratic election before," says the scholar, highlighting the 'weight' of the ballot sent by Leo XIV.
In recent months, the Pope has come under Trump's scrutiny. The US president criticized the Pontiff for his overly soft stance on Washington's war against Iran. Recently, the president toned down his comments, pointing out that the Pope's brother, Louis Prevost, is pro-Maga.
Electoral records show that the Pope is registered to vote in New Lenox, a Chicago suburb where his brother John lives. Leo XIV, born in Chicago, has participated in both the Republican and Democratic primaries in recent years, also casting his vote in the 2024 presidential election.
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