Pope Leo votes in US midterms in first known political vote for a pontiff | Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo voted in the US midterm elections – the first time a sitting pontiff has voted in a political election at any point in history.

Leo, who has clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump over several issues, submitted his absentee ballot in Chicago, where he was born, the Vatican said Friday. Leo became the first American leader of the Catholic Church last year after the death of Pope Francis.

The Vatican said Leo “exercised his right to vote as an American citizen whenever he was eligible to do so,” including in Peru, where he lived for years as a missionary. “The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the statement added.

Leo, who before being elected pope was known as Robert Prevost, reportedly requested the absentee ballot on October 3, registering at an address in New Lenox, Illinois.

It was 10 days before he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. The pontiff has gradually resumed his activities since his release from hospital on October 17.

The crucial midterm elections are due to take place on November 3.

Leo and Trump clashed over the US president’s tough immigration policy, with the pontiff calling it “inhumane”.

Earlier this year, Trump responded to Leo’s criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran, calling the pontiff “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy.” The US president also said that Leo was elected pope only because Trump himself was in the White House.

In response to the tirade, Leo said he was “not afraid” of Trump.

In his first key speech in the United States on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Leo praised the country’s history of welcoming migrants, while urging Americans to live up to the ideals put forward in the declaration, in what was seen as another rebuke to Trump.

In an interview with the American channel at the end of July, Leo expressed his “great love” for his country of origin and its fundamental principles of freedom, opportunity and welcoming immigrants, while specifying that he “happens to be American”.

Leo will travel to Latin America in November for an 11-day trip covering 10 cities. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s foreign minister, told reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome this week that a papal visit to the United States was expected in the “not too distant future,” adding that the outcome of the midterm elections could influence whether the trip takes place in 2027 or later.