Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, cast his vote in the US midterm elections "as he usually does whenever possible," the Vatican press office said in a statement.
This marks the first time a pontiff has publicly acknowledged voting in a political election.
"Pope Leo XIV exercised his right to vote as a US citizen, as he usually does whenever possible," the statement said.
"In keeping with this long-standing tradition of civic participation, the Pope mailed his ballot to Chicago," the press office confirmed.
The Chicago-born pope believes "in the right and duty of every citizen to participate in the democratic process," the statement added.
There are many points of divergence between the head of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion members, and US President Donald Trump. Tensions between them escalated earlier this year after the Pope criticized the U.S. crackdown on immigrants and the U.S. war with Iran.
Trump has called Leo XIV “weak” on crime and “terrible” on foreign policy. Leo XIV, for his part, has said he is not afraid of Trump.
“We cannot remain idle,” he said during a general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “We must listen with our hearts, pay attention, and commit.”
The U.S. midterm elections are scheduled for November 3.
The Pope, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, spent nearly two decades in the priesthood in Peru before becoming Pope. He holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship.
The Vatican statement noted that “the Holy Father also confirmed that during his years in Peru he exercised his right to vote whenever possible.”
Robert Francis Prevost cast his vote in the Democratic primaries in 2008 and 2010, and in three other Republican primaries in subsequent years, according to the New York Times, based on local records.
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