Pope Leo XIV: First American Elected as Pope

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Chicago-born Robert Prevost, has become the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, succeeding Pope Francis. Voting records indicate he participated in Republican primaries in Illinois from 2012 to 2016 and in general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024, but did not vote in the 2016 or 2020 presidential elections. Although his primary voting was exclusively Republican, he ceased GOP primary participation after Donald Trump’s rise and has publicly criticized Trump’s immigration policies. Pope Leo XIV has also rebuked Vice President JD Vance and advocated for gun control. He spent significant years as a missionary in Peru before returning to the U.S. and later moving to Rome. President Trump congratulated him on social media, expressing pride in an American being elected pope.