Pope Leo XIV casts mail-in ballot in Illinois, the first pope to vote in a US election
The Chicago-born pontiff, who has clashed with President Trump, voted in the midterms ahead of election day on 3 November.
Pope Leo XIV has sent in his mail-in ballot in Illinois for the US midterm elections. According to the BBC, that makes him the first pope ever to vote in a US election.
The Holy See Press Office explained the decision in a statement:
“"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes."”Holy See Press Office
The press office also said "Pope Leo XIV has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so." The BBC reported that this included his years in Peru.
The BBC, citing NBC News, reported that the Pope asked the Will County Clerk's Office for his mail-in ballot on 3 October. Less than two weeks later, the Vatican announced that he had surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung after a lung cancer diagnosis. The Vatican confirmed last week that the Pope, who is 71, will still travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November as planned.
The vote stands out because of the Pope's public disagreements with the White House. The BBC described him as the first US citizen to hold the Vatican's highest office, after he was chosen in May 2025. Since then, the BBC reported, he has clashed with the Trump administration on issues including immigration enforcement and the US-Israel war with Iran.
Tensions rose in April, when the Pope called for peace after US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump then said of him: "I don't think he's doing a very good job." He added: "I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo." The BBC, citing Reuters, reported that the Pope later responded: "The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace."
The midterms will decide which party controls Congress and will have a significant impact on the final years of Trump's presidency, the BBC said. Election day is 3 November, but early voting has begun in most states. According to the BBC, polls suggest Democrats are favoured to win control of the House of Representatives and may also gain seats in the Senate. The BBC said the gloomy outlook for Republicans has led Trump to hold rallies in states his party usually wins easily.
Several things are still unclear. The BBC report does not say how the Pope voted, which races were on his ballot, or exactly when he submitted it. The results of the midterms will not be known until after voting ends on 3 November.
