The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, cast his vote in the U.S. midterm elections by mail, marking the first reported case of a pope exercising political voting rights.
The Vatican City revealed on Friday, 30 October, that Pope Leo XIV, head of the Roman Catholic Church and born in Chicago, U.S., voted by mail in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections scheduled for 3 November.
The Vatican stated that he voted as a U.S. citizen and believes that people have both the right and duty to participate in the democratic process. This vote is the first reported case of a pope casting a political vote.
Pope Leo XIV is the first Catholic Church leader born in the U.S. and holds dual American and Peruvian citizenship. Before becoming pope, he was known as Robert Francis Prevost and served as a missionary in Peru for nearly 20 years.
According to a New York Times report citing state and local sources, he voted in Democratic primary elections in 2008 and 2010, then participated in Republican primaries three times in subsequent years.
This voting took place amid conflicts between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump, who have publicly criticized each other multiple times. The pope opposed the U.S. government's strict immigration crackdown and the war with Iran.
Earlier, Trump accused the pope of weakness on crime issues and poor foreign policy, while the pope stated he does not fear the U.S. president.
In April, after Trump threatened to destroy Iran, the pope called for all parties to work together for peace and urged people to contact political leaders and Congress members to advocate ending the war and rejecting violence.
Furthermore, in September, he urged Christians not to ignore societal events, emphasizing that citizens should not be mere observers but actively involved.
The Vatican also confirmed that during his time in Peru, he voted in all elections he was legally entitled to participate in.
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