Pope Leo votes in U.S. midterms, Vatican confirms
Leo requested a mail-in ballot from Illinois earlier this month
Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election.
The Vatican confirmed Friday that pontiff had submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, citing his long-standing belief in civic participation.
Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen" and has done so "whenever he was eligible to do so," the Holy See press office said.
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office → vote → citizen
"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," it added.
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it → express → processes
The U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops praised the decision in a statement.
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Council → praise → statement
"In voting, our Holy Father sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility," said spokesperson Chieko Noguchi.
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Noguchi → set → responsibility
"The U.S. bishops have emphasized it's not 'who' one is voting for, but rather on encouraging Catholics to inform their conscience as they prepare to vote and to uphold human dignity and the common good in doing so."
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they → emphasize → dignity
Leo's vote was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, which quoted the chief of staff at the Will County clerk's office as saying the pope, registered at a New Lenox address, requested a mail-in ballot on Oct. 3.
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pope → report → Oct.
The request was made just 10 days before Leo underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung.
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Leo → make → lung
Leo has been slowly resuming his activities at the Vatican after being released from the hospital on Oct. 17.
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Leo → resume → Oct.
It is unclear how Leo returned the ballot.
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Leo → return → ballot
U.S. federal law allows citizens living abroad, even those working for foreign governments, to vote via absentee ballot.
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citizens → allow → ballot
Leo, 71, is also a Peruvian citizen, having lived there as a missionary priest and bishop for over 20 years.
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Leo → live → years
The Vatican statement said he had also voted while living in Peru whenever he was eligible, but there's no evidence he cast a ballot in the national election held earlier this year in the South American country.
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he → say → country
There are also no known Vatican statements indicating that any of the three popes before Leo, dating back a half-century, had voted in their countries of origin.
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any → be → origin
Michael Kelly, a papal historian, told CNN in a published report Friday he wasn't aware of any pope voting in a democratic election before.
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pope → tell → election
Since becoming Pope, Leo has drawn criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump for repeatedly condemning the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and calling for dignified treatment of immigrants.
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Leo → become → immigrants
Earlier this year, Trump called Leo "weak" and captive to the "radical left."
Responding to Trump's public rebuke, Leo told reporters en route to Algeria: "I'm not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the church works for.
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church → call → what
"I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems," he said.
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he → continue → problems
Leo also supported a rare special message by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that decried the "vilification of immigrants" and implored countries to "recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants.
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that → support → immigrants
"
Voted in primaries of both parties in past
Since 2000, Robert Prevost has voted in five primary elections, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times, according to records held by the Illinois State Board of Elections.
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Prevost → vote → Elections
The records do not show which candidates he supported.
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he → show → candidates
Illinois voters must declare a party preference to receive a primary ballot.
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voters → declare → ballot
No such declaration is required in general elections.
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declaration → require → elections
While registered in heavily Democratic Cook County, Prevost requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010.
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Prevost → register → 2008
After moving to the more conservative suburban Will County, he requested Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
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he → move → 2012
The records also show that he submitted ballots in every general election since 2000 except those in 2020 and 2022.
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he → show → 2020
This election, Illinois voters are deciding whether to elect Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to his third term, and they're also filling an open U.S. Senate seat after longtime Democrat Dick Durbin, a Catholic, announced his retirement.
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Durbin → decide → retirement
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