Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV, new leader of Catholic Church in Vatican City, has family tree that shows Black roots in New Orleans
Share this @internewscast.com

CHICAGO — Robert Francis Prevost, originally from Chicago, ascended to the papacy as Pope Leo XIV on Thursday. Documentation reveals his family’s African American heritage, tracing back to New Orleans, Louisiana.

ABC News acquired various documents, including U.S. Census data from the early 20th century, showing that the family lineage of the first American pope is intertwined with the nation’s multifaceted racial past.

Both of Leo XIV’s maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, are described as Black or mulatto in several census documents.

The marriage license from 1887 listed Martinez’s place of birth as Haiti, while birth records indicate he was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Chris Smothers, a genealogist with 15 years of experience and a historian at Simmons University, informed ABC News that these areas were considered the same region at that time. Meanwhile, Baquié’s birth records confirm her birth in New Orleans.

Despite Martinez being born abroad, his father — the pope’s great-grandfather — was found to be from Louisiana, Smothers said, emphasizing the pope’s ancestry in the American South.

“It’s clear that the Pope has centuries-long ties to free people of color in Louisiana,” Smothers told ABC News.

On the 1900 census, while his family lived in New Orleans, both Leo XIV’s maternal grandparents and his aunts — Irma and Margaret — were identified as Black. However, in 1920, after the family migrated to Chicago and had the pope’s mother Mildred, that decade’s census reflected their race as white.

Like so many families fleeing the South at that time, they could have shifted their racial identity. Smothers called this a common “survival strategy” at the time.

“In that intervening period, they not only migrated from New Orleans to Chicago in the period between 1910 and 1912 but they also changed their racial identifiers, which is very common,” Jari Honora, a genealogist and family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, told ABC News. “Many families did this as a question of their livelihoods as an economic decision, they passed for white.”

ABC News also obtained photos of those grandparents from the local genealogists working on uncovering this lineage. The pope’s brother, John Prevost, recognized the photos and confirmed to ABC News that they depict their grandparents.

While John Prevost knew about his grandparents’ connection to Haiti and the family’s time in New Orleans, he told ABC News that their family never discussed racial matters.

Creoles in New Orleans have been a part of Louisiana history for almost as long as it has been a state and have contributed enormously to the culture of Louisiana. The word Creole commonly describes mixed-race people of color.

“To be, you know, Creole in Louisiana, to be a free person of color in New Orleans in that time really indicates that there was at some point an enslaved person that had to fight for their freedom,” Smothers said, though genealogists have yet to find direct evidence linking the pope’s ancestry to any enslaved individual.

In a statement released Thursday night, New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell said “the City of New Orleans is a melting pot of different religions and beliefs. We are thrilled to welcome Pope Leo XIV, who embodies morality, unity, and inclusivity.”

Genealogists continue to dig into the pope’s records to find out more information about his ancestry. For now, it seems that Pope Leo is not only the first American pope, but he also represents the melting pot of backgrounds in the U.S.

“They were a Creole of color family — Creole indicating their cultural background that they are rooted in this place in Louisiana, which, of course, has its origins of the French and Spanish colony with a significant West African population. And of color indicating that they were a racial mix. They were a combination of all of those ethnic backgrounds,” Honora said.

Honora also pointed to the symbolic nature of the pope’s ancestry.

“The story, the trajectory does not surprise me. But the fact that a descendant of that family … is the pope, you know, really adds the element of surprise,” he said.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Fifth paralyzed patient implanted with Musk-backed Neuralink chip

Neuralink Installs Brain Chip in Fifth Paralyzed Patient

A fifth paralyzed patient has been implanted with a Neuralink chip backed…
Jake Paul's message to Ben Askren after his former opponent's health scare

Jake Paul Sends Message to Ben Askren Following Health Scare

Jake Paul is praising former opponent Ben Askren as “one of the…
'General Hospital,' 'The View,' 'Live with Kelly and Mark,' and Anthony Mackie are among the Daytime Emmy Awards nominees.

Daytime Emmy Nominations Include ‘General Hospital,’ ‘The View,’ ‘Live with Kelly and Mark,’ and Anthony Mackie

LOS ANGELES — The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has…
July 2025 Full buck moon in Capricorn: steady surrender

July 2025 Full Buck Moon in Capricorn: Embrace Stability and Letting Go

There’s a full moon rising in the grit and grind, strive and shine sign of the…
Woman standing in front of a small airplane.

Tragic Mid-Air Collision Claims Life of 20-Year-Old Female Student Pilot as Two Planes Attempt to Land

A STUDENT pilot lost her life in a mid-air collision involving the…
Randy Couture, UFC Hall of Famer, hospitalized after racing crash

UFC Legend Randy Couture Hospitalized Following Racing Accident

The 62-year-old UFC Hall of Famer has been working to make his…
Is Outlook down? Thousands of users report issues accessing their email

Is Outlook Unavailable? Numerous Users Experiencing Email Access Problems

NEW YORK — Thousands of Microsoft Outlook users experienced issues with the…
New Mexico village rebuilds all over again after record-breaking flash flood kills 3

New Mexico Village Begins Rebuilding After Devastating Flash Flood

RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — The mountain village of Ruidoso faced the familiar…
FBI seeking military vet Benjamin Hanil Song suspected in ICE ambush at Texas detention facility

FBI on the hunt for military vet Benjamin Hanil Song in connection with ICE ambush at Texas detention center

The FBI is currently on the lookout for a former military member…
Karen Read asks Massachusetts court to throw out wrongful death lawsuit after murder acquittal

Karen Read Requests Massachusetts Court to Dismiss Wrongful Death Lawsuit Following Her Murder Acquittal

Karen Read, who was exonerated from murder charges last month concerning the…
AOC's 'Red Light' district ruled by violent migrant gang taken down by feds

AOC’s District Seized from Control of Violent Migrant Gang by Federal Authorities

Several members of a violent gang comprising migrants accused of “unleashing terror”…

300-Year-Old Sunken Ship with £101M in Treasure Discovered off Madagascar After Pirate Attack

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered a 300-year-old shipwreck laden with treasure worth over £101…