Politics · United States · 3 hrs ago
Pope Leo says he is proud to have voted in US midterms
Pope Leo XIV voted by mail in Chicago in the US midterm elections and said he was proud to exercise his right to vote.
The vote gave Democrats control of Congress, but Leo declined to comment on the result.
Leo is a US citizen, although he is also head of the Holy See, a foreign state.
He also has Peruvian citizenship, but said he could not vote in Peru’s recent election because absentee ballots were not available.
The pope is visiting Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on a 12-day trip that began three weeks after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung.
Doctors said tests showed he needed no further treatment, and Leo said he had been confident the trip could go ahead.
Pope Leo XIV said he was proud to be American and to have voted in the U.S. midterm elections.
He made the comments to journalists aboard a flight from Rome to Montevideo.
Leo declined to comment on the election results and referred reporters to a Vatican statement confirming he had cast a mail-in ballot in Chicago.
He said he would have voted in Peru too, but absentee voting was not possible there.
The trip is a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, coming three weeks after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung.
- Who
- Pope Leo XIV, who also holds Peruvian citizenship.
- What
- He said he was proud to be American and to have exercised his right to vote in the U.S. midterm elections.
- When
- Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Where
- Aboard a flight from Rome to Montevideo, Uruguay.
- Why
- He said he was proud to exercise his right to vote. The Vatican said he believes citizens have a right and duty to participate in democratic processes.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Leo announced that he had a nodule on his lung.
Leo underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.
The Vatican said Leo had voted by mail in Chicago and described his belief in civic participation.
Leo told journalists aboard a flight to Montevideo that he was proud to be American and to have voted in the U.S. midterms.
- Ballot
- Mail-in vote cast in Leo’s hometown of Chicago
- Citizenship
- American and Peruvian
- Trip
- 12 days; Uruguay, Argentina and Peru
- Surgery
- Removal of the lower lobe of his right lung
- Midterm result
- Control of Congress went to the Democrats
4 sources
What people are saying
I’m proud to be an American and to exercise the right.
But I would have done it. It’s a good thing.
The best thing is to take care of yourself.