VATICAN CITY (AP) — Leo XIV became the first pope vote in a general election in the United States, casting an absentee ballot in a contest that will decide the future of America as the Trump era slowly comes to an end.
THE Vatican confirmed Friday that the Chicago-born pontiff submitted an absentee ballot in Chicago by November 3. midterm electionsciting his long-held belief in civic participation.
Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, “exercised his right to vote as an American citizen” and did so “whenever eligible,” the Holy See press service said.
The statement said he had also voted while living in Peru whenever he was eligible. Léon lived in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop for over 20 years.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the text adds.
Leo holds American and Peruvian citizenshipand is also head of state of a foreign country, the Holy See. The city-state is an absolute monarchy with no political elections.
U.S. federal law allows citizens living abroad, even those working for foreign governments, to vote by mail. Americans working for foreign governments do not automatically risk losing their U.S. citizenship, although the U.S. State Department says on his website that it can “actively consider” the citizenship status of Americans who “serve as a foreign head of state, head of foreign government, or minister of foreign affairs.”
This election, Illinois voters are deciding whether to elect Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in his third term, and they are also serving a open a seat in the US Senate after a long time Catholic Democrat Dick Durbin’s retirement. There are no statewide voting issues on the Illinois ballot. President Donald Trump is not on the ballot, but he campaigned hard to try to preserve Republican control of the U.S. House and Senate during the final two years of his second term.
Leo’s vote was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, which quoted the chief of staff for the Will County clerk’s office as saying that Pope, registered at a New Lenox address, had requested an absentee ballot on Oct. 3.
The request was made just 10 days before Leo suffered surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. Leo slowly returned to work at the Vatican after being released from the hospital on October 17.
It is unclear how Leo returned the ballot. The pope’s older brother, John Prevost, was in Rome this week to accompany parishioners at St. Jude’s, an Augustinian-run parish in New Lenox, Illinois. The elder Prévost attended mass there and Léo gave a lecture at the parish in 2024 while he was still a cardinal.
Prévost’s past votes have changed to Democratic and Republican
Since 2000, Robert Prevost has voted in five primary elections, twice asking for Democratic votes and three times for Republican votes, according to records held by the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Records do not show which candidates he supported. Illinois voters must declare their party preference to receive a primary ballot. No such declaration is required during the general election.
Although registered in heavily Democratic Cook County, Prevost requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010. After moving to more conservative suburban Will County, he requested Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Records also show he has submitted ballots in every general election since 2000, except for those in 2020 and 2022.
Clashes with Trump
Since becoming pope, Leo has attracted criticism from Trump for repeatedly condemning the US-Israeli war in Iran and calling for dignified treatment of immigrants.
Earlier this year, Trump called Leo “weak” and captive of the “radical left,” sparking a remarkable public back-and-forth that dominated Leo’s trip to Africa in April.
In response to Trump, Leo told reporters en route to Algeria: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration or to speak loudly about the message of the Gospel, for which the Church works. »
“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.
The public feud has calmed in recent months.
“We try to let things go if there are misunderstandings,” Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Richard Paul Gallagher told reporters this week when asked about the spring row. “With anyone, we would look to approach them and say, ‘OK, there may be a misunderstanding, let’s move on and try to rebuild trust.'”
Leo and Trump have not spoken by telephone since the pope’s election in May 2025. Last week, however, the pope spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the humanitarian crisis in the Ukrainian town of Oleshky.
When asked why Trump and Leo have not spoken, Gallagher said the Holy See had found a competent intermediary in U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch and had not needed to raise the issue any higher.
“There was no feeling that there was a need to establish more direct contact,” Gallagher told the Foreign Press Association.
A pope who closely follows American politics
Leo has made it clear on several occasions that he closely follows local and national U.S. politics and is not afraid to intervene.
He asked several times reflection and humane treatment for immigrants in his native United States following the Trump administration’s program of repression and mass deportation.
Recently, Leo reiterated official Church teaching in declaring the death penalty. “inadmissible.” He made the statement in a social media post on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, as the United States announced its intention to live stream an execution by firing squad. The plans were later abandoned.
In 2025, Léo intervened in a debate on abortion, after Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich announced plans to give Sen. Durbin a lifetime achievement award. This project aroused opposition from some conservative American bishops given the powerful Democratic senator’s support for the right to abortion. Leo called for respect on both sides, but he also highlighted the contradiction between those who call themselves “pro-life” but also support the death penalty.
Also in 2025, Leo said he was “very disappointed” that his home state, Illinois, approved a law authorizing medical assistance in dying, which is condemned by the Catholic Church.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a memo commenting on the confirmation of Leo’s midterm vote, urged Catholics to put “our faith before our politics” and defend human dignity and the common good.
“As Catholics and Americans, we are fortunate to be able to participate in the political and public life of our country,” said conference public affairs director Chieko Noguchi. “By voting, our Holy Father sets an example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility.”
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Associated Press writer Holly Meyer in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
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