Can Pope Leo XIV remain a U.S. citizen now that he's a foreign head of state? | What to know
Share this @internewscast.com

Pope Leo XIV’s election marks a historic moment as he becomes the first U.S.-born leader of the Catholic Church. This unique position places him in a legally complex situation, as he is both an American citizen and a foreign head of state.

Born as Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, the new pope has held dual citizenship in the U.S. and Peru for the past decade. His time spent in Peru as a missionary and bishop has been a significant part of his journey.

As pope, Leo serves as leader of both the Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church, and Vatican City, an independent state.

Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives for his first weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives for his first weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Can the pope remain a U.S. citizen while leading a foreign government? Here are things to know about Leo’s citizenship.

Is the Vatican considered a sovereign nation?

Beyond leading the church’s estimated 1.4 billion followers worldwide, Leo also heads the Vatican, recognized as the world’s smallest nation.

Vatican City covers just 0.17 square miles (0.44 square kilometers) and has a population of a few hundred people. It became an independent state in 1929 under a treaty between Italy and the Holy See.

Could Leo be stripped of his U.S. citizenship?

Americans working for foreign governments aren’t automatically at risk of forfeiting their U.S. citizenship.

But the U.S. State Department says on its website that it may “actively review” the citizenship status of Americans who “serve as a foreign head of state, foreign head of government, or foreign minister.”

“Such cases raise complex questions of international law, including issues related to the level of immunity from U.S. jurisdiction that the person so serving may be afforded,” the policy states.

The State Department declined to comment on the pope’s status. A spokesperson said the department doesn’t discuss the citizenship of individuals.

The core issue is whether foreign leaders should hold American citizenship when they also enjoy broad immunity from U.S. laws, said Peter Spiro, a Temple University law professor and an expert on citizenship law. Such immunity clashes with the constitutional principle that no U.S. citizen should be above the law.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 1980 decision ruled that Americans can’t be stripped of their citizenship unless they intentionally renounce it.

“The State Department never assumes that you intend to lose your citizenship unless you specifically say so through the renunciation process,” Spiro said.

He said it would be hard to argue that Leo, by becoming pope, demonstrated an intent to give up being a U.S. citizen.

“I think it’s highly unlikely that the U.S. moves to terminate the pope’s citizenship,” Spiro said.

Pope Leo XIV waves upon his arrival at the Arch Basilica of St. John Lateran where he will presides over a Mass and takes possession of the Roman Cathedra, May 25, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV waves upon his arrival at the Arch Basilica of St. John Lateran where he will presides over a Mass and takes possession of the Roman Cathedra, May 25, 2025.

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Can the pope remain a citizen of Peru?

Peruvian law has no conflict with Pope Leo remaining a citizen, said Jorge Puch, deputy director of registry archives at Peru’s National Registry of Identification and Civil Status.

Leo was granted Peruvian citizenship in August 2015, the month before Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Chiclayo in the South American country’s northern region. To qualify, he had to live in Peru for at least two years and pass a civics test.

“It is the most praiseworthy thing our beloved supreme pontiff could have done: Wanting to have Peruvian nationality without having been Peruvian by birth,” Puch said.

All adult Peruvians, including naturalized citizens, are required to vote in elections through age 69. Voting in Peru’s presidential election next April won’t be mandatory for Leo. He turns 70 in September.

Did prior popes retain citizenship in their home countries?

It’s not clear what happened to the citizenship status of Leo’s predecessors once they became pope. That’s not information the Vatican discloses.

Pope Francis renewed his passport in his home country of Argentina in 2014, the year after he became pope. German-born Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, a native of Poland, never publicly relinquished citizenship in their home countries.

John Paul was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

Margaret Susan Thompson, a Syracuse University history professor and expert on American Catholicism, said she doubts Leo would renounce his U.S. citizenship. But she believes the new pope was sending a message when he delivered his first speech in Italian and Spanish without using English.

“I think he wants to stress that he is the pope of the universal Catholic Church,” Thompson said, “and not an American holding that position.”

Have other US citizens served as leaders of a foreign government?

Yes. Here are a few notable examples.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was born in New York to British parents in 1964. He left the U.S. as a young boy and renounced his American citizenship in 2016 while serving as the U.K.’s foreign secretary. Johnson became prime minister three years later.

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed was an American citizen when he was elected president of Somalia in 2017. Born in Somalia, he moved to the U.S. in 1985 and became a citizen in the 1990s. Mohamed gave up his U.S. citizenship two years into his presidency.

Valdas Adamkus became a U.S. citizen after his family fled Lithuania to escape Soviet occupation. He returned to win Lithuania’s presidency in 1998, years after the Soviet Union collapsed. He relinquished his American citizenship after being elected.

___

AP reporter Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed to this story. Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Two soldiers carrying rifles walk across a metal bridge.

Travis Decker’s Missing Days Numbered as Experts Warn Fugitive Dad’s Options to Remain Hidden Are Dwindling

According to experts, Travis Decker, who is accused of child murder, would…
Trump to tour Texas flood damage as the scope of the disaster tests his pledge to shutter FEMA

Trump Visits Texas to Assess Flood Damage amid Challenges to His Promise to Close FEMA

As President Donald Trump travels to Texas on Friday to witness the…
Hochul defends handling of sexual harassment, toxic workplace complaints against ex-press secretary

Governor Hochul Addresses Allegations of a Hostile Environment and Misconduct by Former Press Secretary

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul is standing by her administration’s response to…
Naperville news today: Centennial Beach closed amid death investigation at 500 West Jackson Avenue, park district says

Naperville Update: Centennial Beach Closure During Investigation of Incident at 500 West Jackson Avenue, Reports Park District

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) — A west suburban beach is closed to the…
Man wrestling a crocodile.

Outrage as Influencer Colton Macaulay Recklessly Confronts Dangerous Crocodile in Viral Stunt

THIS is the shocking moment influencer Colton Macaulay wrestles a deadly croc,…
World's oldest domesticated dog breed has cohabited with humans for 1,000 years, new study shows — but their population is plummeting

Ancient Dog Breed, Living Alongside Humans for a Millennium, Faces Rapid Decline, New Research Reveals

It gives new meaning to dog years. For nearly 10,000 years, people…
State Department firing more than 1,300 employees under President Donald Trump administration plan, officials say

Trump Administration’s Plan Leads to Over 1,300 State Department Employee Dismissals, Officials Report

The State Department is set to terminate over 1,300 employees this Friday…
Boeing settles with a man whose family died in a 737 Max crash in Ethiopia

Boeing Reaches Settlement with Man After 737 Max Crash Claims His Family in Ethiopia

Boeing reached an agreement on Friday with a Canadian man whose wife…
Waycross community mourns teens after tragic lightning strike

Waycross Community Grieves for Teens After Devastating Lightning Strike

“Every time a lightning flash we just think that’s Randall’s picture up…
El Chapo's son pleads guilty to US drug trafficking

El Chapo’s Son Admits Guilt in US Drug Trafficking Case

As part of a plea agreement, Guzman Lopez admitted to helping oversee…
Trump calls Butler widow, Secret Service agrees to meeting after call for accountability

Trump Phones Widow of Butler: Secret Service Accepts Meeting Following Demand for Responsibility

The widow of Corey Comperatore, a victim of a shooting at a…
Michael Bell fights execution amid witness coercion claims

Lawyers for Michael Bell Submit Appeal to Halt Execution at the Supreme Court

Bell is set to be the 8th inmate on death row to…