Pope Leo XIV, from Chicago, voted in seven distinct elections since 2012, including three republican primaries.
Where Pope Leo XIV stands on key issues such as immigration and race
Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV on May 8. He aligns himself with his progressive predecessor in certain respects, but in others, he is more conservative.
THE First American pope in history Vodées in several American elections of his original state from Illinois, according to the files obtained by USA Today on Friday, including a vote by absent during the very contested presidential election from last year.
Pope Leo XIVOriginally from Chicago, has been voted in seven distinct elections since 2012, including three republican primaries while living in Will CountyA suburbs just southwest of the windy town. He did not vote during the presidential election of 2020 or in the mid-term elections of 2022.
Many are already speculating on the political allegiances of the new pontiff after having taken the mantle as a spiritual leader of the 1.4 billion Roman Catholics of the world on Thursday at the world fanfare.
Before being elected Pope, for example, Leo XIV republished a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, criticizing the president Donald Trump and the president of Salvador Nayib Bukele at their meeting of the Oval Office in the middle of the debate on a wrongly deported man.
In February, he posted Two opinion columns Criticism towards the vice-president Jd vanceA practicing Catholic, and the position of the administration on immigration.
Many have hung on the voting registers as a sign of the policy of the new pontiff, but the officials of Illinois are not quickly stressed that voters of the prairie state are not required to register as members of a political party.
“In Illinois, a declaration of affiliation of parties is not part of the process of registration of voters,” said Matt Dietrich, spokesperson for the Council of Elections of the State of Illinois in a press release.
The Bureau of the County County cook, Illinois, where the pontiff lived previously, did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
This story will be updated.