Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church, has cast his ballot in the US midterm elections through a mail-in vote submitted in Illinois, Chicago, the Vatican confirmed on Friday.
The vote marks the first known instance of a sitting pope participating in a political election.
Pope Leo XIV votes in US midterm elections
The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, who has had disagreements with US President Donald Trump, believes in “the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the Vatican said in a statement.
The Chicago-born pontiff, who is recovering from lung cancer surgery, “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so,” the statement added.
“The Holy See Press Office confirms that, in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation.
Illinois midterm elections 2026
The pope’s ballot includes several key contests, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s bid for re-election, the race to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin and a House race between Democratic Rep. Jonathan Jackson and Republican challenger Christian Maxwell.
Jackson, the son of the late Reverend Jesse Jackson, secured a decisive victory in his congressional district in 2024.
The pontiff’s mail-in ballot will be transported from Vatican City to Joliet, Illinois, where it will be processed.
The pope met on Wednesday with advocates from the Chicago area who are providing support to immigrants at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois.
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Conflict between Trump and Pope
A public rift between Trump and the pope earlier this year drew widespread international attention.
The two repeatedly clashed over Leo’s criticism of the Trump administration’s tough immigration crackdown in the United States and the war involving Iran. Trump described the pontiff as “weak” on crime and “terrible” on foreign policy, while the pope declared that he was “not afraid” of the U.S. president.
The closely watched US midterm elections are scheduled to take place on November 3.
Before becoming pope, Robert Francis Prevost spent nearly two decades serving as a missionary and later as a bishop in Peru. He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru.