Pope Leo XIV is of black descent.
The papal election last week, May 8, 2025, made history by electing the first American, Robert Francis Prevost, to be the head of the Catholic Church worldwide, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. There are many interesting facts about this new pope, but today we will focus on how this pope has black ancestry through the Creole Society of Louisiana in the United States. This was revealed on May 13, 2025, by genealogist Jari C. Honora, when he told The New York Times about his research into the origins of Pope Leo XIV. Honora says that his research, which included historical books and biographies of people living in New Orleans, shows that Pope Leo XIV's lineage comes from this Creole family. It also shows that in various birth records, his biological parents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, are listed as black, married in a church located in a black neighborhood in New Orleans. However, Pope Leo XIV grew up in Chicago, not New Orleans, because some of his Creole family left their home to seek a life in other parts of the country.
