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Pope Leo XIV cast his vote in the US midterm elections by sending a remote voting ballot to Illinois. He became the first pontiff in history to vote in an election outside the Vatican.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the Vatican press office said in a statement.
Since May 2025, the head of the Roman Catholic Church has been a US citizen - the current Pope was born in Chicago in 1936.
“Pope Leo XIV exercised his right to vote as a US citizen whenever he had the opportunity,” the Vatican said, noting that this included his many years of service as a priest and bishop in Peru.
The US midterm elections will determine which political party controls Congress and will have a significant impact on the final years of Donald Trump's presidency.
Elections will be held across the country on November 3, but early voting has already begun in most states.
On October 3, Pope requested a mail-in ballot from the Will County Clerk's Office in Illinois, according to NBC News.
Less than two weeks later, the Vatican announced that he had undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after being diagnosed with cancer.
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The Vatican confirmed last week that the 71-year-old pope will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru as planned in early November.
Since ascending to the church throne, the pope has had several conflicts with the Donald Trump administration - about the president's immigration policy and the US and Israeli war with Iran.
In April, tensions between the pope and the US president increased after Leo XIV called for peace in the wake of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job,” President Trump responded. “We don’t like a dad who will say that owning nuclear weapons is normal.” I'm not a big fan of Papa Leo."
Leo XIV responded to this criticism. “The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” his statement said. “And if anyone wants to criticize me for preaching the gospel... I just hope that they will listen to me for the value of God’s words.”
In the final days before the midterm elections, Republican and Democratic politicians are traveling across the country to boost their candidates' chances.
Polls show that Democrats have a better chance of controlling the lower house of Congress - and in some places they could take back seats in areas where, as recently as the 2024 presidential election, the population overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump.
Democrats also appear to have a chance to win additional seats in the Senate, the upper house of Congress.
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