Leo becomes first Pope to vote in US election after submitting his mail-in ballot

The Independent, CBS News and the BBC report that Pope Leo XIV has mailed in a ballot for the upcoming midterm elections, which makes him the first pontiff to take part in an American vote. He was born in Chicago and is the first U.S. citizen to lead the Catholic Church. The Vatican press office said he has voted as an American whenever he was eligible, and that he believes citizens have both a right and a duty to join democratic processes.

The Chicago Sun-Times broke the news, with CBS News and the BBC noting the request went to the Will County clerk in Illinois on Oct. 3, listed at a New Lenox address. CBS News adds that this came just days before his lung cancer surgery, that he left the hospital Oct. 17, and that he also holds Peruvian citizenship. The Independent says he skipped Illinois primaries in March.

The Independent and the BBC place the vote against a tense backdrop: Donald Trump criticized the pope over Iran, and polls favor Democrats to win the House. The pope is still set for a South American trip in early November.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent, CBS News and BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent → Also at CBS News → Also at BBC →