Pope Leo XIV was announced as the head of the Catholic Church on Thursday, becoming the first American pope in history. According to a genealogist, Pope Leo XIV has African-Creole roots, inspiring many on social media to claim the church leader as Black.
As reported by Black Catholic Messenger, Pope Leo XIV, formerly Robert Prevost of Chicago, has a connection to New Orleans via his maternal grandparents, who lived in the famed city before moving north to Chicago. Genealogist and expert on Creole history Jari Honora traced the pope’s roots to New Orleans. According to Census data, the pope’s mother, Mildred Martinez, was the mixed-race daughter of Joseph Martinez, who was born in Haiti, and Louise Baquié, a Creole who hailed from New Orleans.
The pope, raised in Chicago’s South Side neighborhood, joined the Augustinian order after being ordained in 1982. He earned a canon law doctorate degree at the Angelicum in Rome, ahead of working for more than a decade in Peru and overseeing an Augustinian seminary there.
The pope already owns the distinction of being the first American named as the pope, and would be considered the first Black pope in history, although it isn’t known if he claims his Creole roots or if he identifies as Black.
“It’s more complicated than that,” Honora said to Black Catholic Messenger. “I think that a person can be of Black ancestry or have Black roots, but to identify as Black, I think, is all about the lived experience.”
Honora was one of several genealogists and researchers who made the connection to Pope Leo XIV’s Creole ancestry, prompting notable chatter online. Many were already celebrating the pope’s ascension, and for being from Chicago, leading to hilarious and excitable reactions across social media.
The pope is part of a religious order named after the African saint, Augustine of Hippo. Leo XIV’s predecessor, Pope Francis, passed away on April 21 at the age of 88.
On X, reactions to the news that Pope Leo XIV has Creole roots have spread far and wide. We’ve got those reactions below.
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