US midterms: Pope Leo XIV casts vote by mail

Pope Leo XIV has become the first ever pontiff to vote in a United States general election after submitting a mail-in ballot ahead of November's midterms, the Vatican confirmed on Friday.

The 71-year-old US citizen, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, as Robert Francis Prevost, applied for a postal vote on October 3, according to US media.

The Holy See's press office said in a statement that the pope "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen" and has done so "whenever he was eligible to do so."

Indeed, records held by the Illinois State Board of Elections show that Robert Prevost has voted in every general election since 2000 except those in 2020 and 2022, including five primary elections.

Through his time as a bishop in Peru, Pope Leo also holds Peruvian citizenship and the Vatican said he had also voted whenever eligible while living in the South American country.

"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," said a spokesperson in Vatican City, which itself is an absolute monarchy and does not hold political elections.  

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In Tuesday's US midterm elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and about one third of the Senate are set to be contested.

US President Donald Trump's Republicans are seeking to defend narrow majorities in both chambers against a strong challenge from the Democrats.

In Illinois, voters are deciding whether to elect Governor JB Pritzker for a third term, and are also filling an open US Senate seat after the retirement of longtime Catholic Democrat Dick Durbin.

It remains unclear who Pope Leo has voted for but the pontiff has repeatedly clashed with President Trump and his administration since the start of his pontificate a year and a half ago.

Leo has criticized Trump on issues such as the Iran war, migration and press freedom and declined an invitation to the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations earlier this year.

The two are yet to meet personally but Trump has often attacked the pontiff personally, calling him "weak" and captive to the "radical left."

"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," Leo responded while on a trip to Algeria in April.

"I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems."

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