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Pope Leo becomes the first pontiff in history to vote in a US election, posting a midterm ballot after clashing with Trump

Pope Leo XIV, who registered at his former New Lenox address to cast a mail-in ballot from Vatican City, becoming the first sitting pontiff known to vote in a secular election.
Pope Leo XIV, who registered at his former New Lenox address to cast a mail-in ballot from Vatican City, becoming the first sitting pontiff known to vote in a secular election.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago and aged 71, submitted a mail-in ballot from Vatican City to Will County, Illinois, making him the first sitting pontiff in Catholic history to cast a vote in any secular election. Vatican historians confirmed no previous pope — Polish, German, Italian or Argentine — had ever voted in their home country's elections. The ballot was requested on 3 October, ten days before Leo underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung.

Leo has voted in every Illinois general election since 2000 bar two, requesting both Democratic and Republican primary ballots over the years.

Trump called Leo 'weak on crime' and 'terrible on foreign policy' after the pontiff condemned the US-Israeli war on Iran as 'unjust'; Leo responded he had 'no fear' of the administration.

Illinois records show Leo is registered at his brother John's New Lenox address — and US law explicitly protects overseas citizens' right to vote by absentee ballot.

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