The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo cast a mail-in ballot in Illinois during the 2026 midterm elections, following his criticism of President Trump’s positions on Iran and immigration.
He is the first pope in history to vote in a US general election.
The Chicago-born pontiff “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen” whenever he has been eligible, the Holy See press office said.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes.”
Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff at the Will County clerk’s office, told the Chicago Sun-Times that the pope appears on the “list of individuals who requested a vote by mail ballot for the upcoming election.”
British historian Michael Walsh told CNN that this marks the first time a pope has voted in a democratic, secular election.
The historic vote follows Pope Leo’s condemnation of Trump’s war on Iran as “unjust” and his criticism of the president’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization.”
The pope and Trump have also clashed publicly. In April, Trump attacked Leo on Truth Social, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” while adding, “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
The Chicago-born pope replied that he had “no fear” of the administration and said his efforts were focused on “promote peace and multilateral relationships.”
Pope Leo has repeatedly used his platform to challenge Trump’s policies, including mass deportation efforts and tighter border controls.
During his first major US television interview, in July 2026, the religious leader criticized the administration’s “in humane treatment” of migrants at the US-Mexico border.
He pointed to America’s historic “principles” of freedom and opportunity, as well as its tradition of welcoming immigrants.
“My grandparents were immigrants,” Pope Leo told NBC’s Nightly News at the time.
“On my mother’s side, we have people who were both slaves and slave owners. There’s a history of, if you will, growing up in the kind of experience that helps me to recognize myself – one of the greatest wealths of the United States.”
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Records show that the pope, who is a US citizen, is registered to vote in the Chicago suburb of New Lenox.
He has voted in both Republican and Democratic primaries and also cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election.
In another controversial move in April, Trump shared what appeared to be an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick person, followed by a photoshopped image imagining Trump Tower on the moon.
The post came after Leo denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” he said had fueled the joint US-Israel war in Iran and urged political leaders to stop fighting and negotiate peace.
That same day, Leo led an evening prayer service in St Peter’s Basilica as the US and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan during a fragile ceasefire.
The pope did not mention the United States or Trump by name during the prayer.
But Leo’s tone and message appeared directed at Trump and American officials, who have boasted of US military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.
The Pope told the thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square that the public is ‘growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it and becoming indifferent’.
Speaking from the Vatican balcony, the Pope said: ‘Let those who have weapons lay them down!
‘Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force but by dialogue.’
Leo did not specify a conflict within his message, known as the Urbi et Orbi blessing – translated as ‘to the city and the world’.
In the 2024 election, Trump won 55 percent of Catholic voters, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate.
But Trump’s administration also has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders and has claimed heavenly endorsement for the war on Iran.