Pope Leo XIV made history as he became the first Pope to vote in an American election. Speaking on Wednesday after the 2026 midterms, he addressed hundreds in St. Peter’s Square about the duty to vote.
The Vatican confirmed that the pontiff, originally from Chicago, had submitted a mail-in ballot in Illinois for the November 3 midterm elections. Known in the U.S. as Robert Francis Prevost, Leo exercised his voting rights as a citizen, according to the Vatican.
Leo remarked, “The exercise of political authority must always be directed towards the common good, structured according to local and historical circumstances, but always with the good of the entire human family at heart.” These comments were delivered in Italian to the assembled crowd.
The statement was made as the US experienced a significant shift, with Democrats flipping several GOP-held Senate seats. At the time, Texas and Kansas elected Democratic senators, the first time since 1988 and 1932 respectively. Additionally, over two dozen house seats changed party, including a Kentucky district previously won by a large margin by President Donald Trump. Historically, only four times since World War II has a party seized both chambers in a midterm election.
Pope Leo emphasized, “Politics that tends to the wounds of peoples and of those who suffer injustice offers grounds for hope for the future of humanity.”
This story is ongoing. Further updates will follow.
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