In brief
Pope Leo XIV has become the first pontiff to vote in a United States election after mailing a ballot from Chicago, a move the Vatican confirmed. The Vatican cited his long‑standing belief in civic participation, while U.S. Catholic bishops urged Catholics to set faith before politics. The pope, a U.S. citizen, has voted in Illinois elections for decades and recently requested a ballot mere weeks before undergoing surgery.
Pope Leo XIV has become the first pontiff to vote in a United States general election after he mailed a ballot from his native Chicago on Friday, according to a Vatican statement published on Thursday.
The Vatican’s press office said the pope, formerly Robert Prevost, “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, as he has done ‘whenever he was eligible to do so,’” and emphasized his “belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes.”
In a separate note, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged Catholics to “put faith before politics” and highlighted the pope’s example as a call for civic responsibility.
The mail‑in ballot was requested on October 3, just 10 days before Leo underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, and the pope released from the hospital on October 17 as he resumed Vatican duties.
Since 2000, Leo has voted in five Illinois primary elections, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times, according to records held by the Illinois State Board of Elections. The board does not record which candidates he supported.
Illinois voters in Chicago will choose a replacement for retiring Senator Dick Durbin and decide on the re‑election of Governor J. B. Pritzker as part of the November 3 midterm elections.
