Pope Leo XIV Votes in US Elections: First Time for a Pontiff

Pope Leo XIV, who has repeatedly clashed with US President Donald Trump over immigration and the war in Iran, has cast his ballot in the US midterm elections by mail – officially becoming the first pontiff to do so. Describing the vote as an expression of his belief in “the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the pontiff submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago, according to Vatican News on Friday, Oct. 30.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel,” the pontiff said during his papal flight to Algeria earlier in April. Before becoming pope, Robert Francis Prevost had voted in every election for which he was eligible, including those during his years living in Peru. Friday’s vote continues that long-standing practice, the Vatican said. The vote comes two weeks after the first American pope personally intervened over Russian-occupied Oleshky. In two separate telephone discussions, he urged Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire for the town. The evacuation of Oleshky’s residents began earlier on Friday, marking the first humanitarian operation of such scale since Russian forces occupied it in February, 2022. Long-standing disputes with Trump Since being elected pope in May 2025, the pontiff has repeatedly found himself at odds with the Trump administration, particularly over immigration enforcement, the US-Israeli war with Iran and Venezuela. Other Topics of Interest Lula’s Victory Preserves Kremlin Ties Lula’s re-election preserves a major partner for Moscow as Putin seeks closer African ties despite continued war against Ukraine. He has been a long-standing, outspoken critic of mass deportations and family separations, and has even warned against the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI). Tensions with Trump, however, peaked in April, when the pontiff called for peace following strikes on Iran. “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said about Pope Leo XIV at the time, BBC reported, adding that he is “not a big fan” of him. Trump also drew criticism for sharing an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus, which he later deleted, the CST reported. A registered Illinois voter The pope remains registered to vote at an address in New Lenox, Kim Fladhammer, Will County’s clerk office chief of staff, told the Chicago Sun-Times. According to county records, Prevost voted in Democratic primaries in 2008 and 2010 and in Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016. He also voted in general elections of 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024, but did not vote in this year’s March primary. The elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats and governors in 36 states. The 71-year-old pope, who grew up in the Chicago suburb of Dolton, returned to the Vatican on Oct. 18 following surgery to remove part of his right lung due to cancer. He has since gradually resumed his public duties, and the Vatican confirmed he is planning to travel to Peru, Argentina and Uruguay in early November. Diesel deal ahead of the vote The elections come as Trump faces severe pressure over record-high diesel prices, for which he has previously blamed Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries instead of US-Israeli war on Iran. On Oct. 9, Trump struck an abrupt diesel deal with Putin, after which the US Treasury authorized the sale and import of Russian diesel through April 7, 2027. During the same time, a Ukrainian delegation was in Miami holding negotiations with Trump’s administration, hoping to reach a breakthrough in Russia’s war. The following day, Trump blamed Zelensky for high fuel prices again, criticizing Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries and saying it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president.” The deal has drawn criticism from both Washington and Kyiv, as well as from European leaders. Meanwhile, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which helped arrange the diesel shipments, is now seeking the removal of US sanctions against it, The New York Times reported. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.