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Pope Leo XIV of the Catholic Church voted by mail as a voter in the state of Illinois in the US midterm elections. This is the first time in history that a pope has voted in an American election.
"The Pope expressed his conviction in the right and obligation of citizens to participate in democratic processes," the Vatican's press office said in a statement.
Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV was elected pope in May 2025, becoming the first American to hold the highest office in the Catholic Church. Since then, it has clashed with the Trump administration on a variety of issues, including immigration policy and the war with Iran.
"Pope Leo
Voting for the midterm elections will take place on November 3, but early voting has already begun in most states. According to NBC News, Pope requested a mail-in ballot from the Will County, Illinois, clerk's office on October 3.
But less than two weeks later, the Vatican announced that the pope had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung and had undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.
The Pope has already been discharged from the hospital and has returned to official duties. He plans to visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru in South America as planned in early November.
Tensions between the Pope and Trump escalated in April after the Pope called for peace in the wake of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Trump later said of the Pope: "I don't think he's doing a very good job."
"I don't want a pope saying it's OK to have nuclear weapons," Trump said, adding, "I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo."
"I believe that is what I am here for, and what the Church is here for, is to speak out loud the message of the Gospel," according to Reuters.
"If someone wants to criticize me for preaching the gospel...I just want them to listen to me because of the value of God's word."
The US midterm elections will determine whether Republicans or Democrats control Congress. The outcome is expected to have a major impact on the remainder of President Donald Trump's term.
According to opinion polls, Democrats are likely to win a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats are expected to win seats even in strongly Republican areas that overwhelmingly voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Democrats also appear likely to gain more seats in the U.S. Senate.
The president has held several rallies in states where a Republican victory is almost certain, as the prospects for Trump's Republican Party are sluggish.
Amid this situation, a photo of American Catholic bishops praying with President Trump at the White House has been released, sparking speculation that the bishops may have made a political comment. In response to the incident, two of the bishops expressed regret for participating in the meeting.
Photos and videos of the Oct. 22 meeting released by White House staff on social media show multiple bishops surrounding Trump at his desk in the Oval Office.
Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grove, one of the people in the photo, said Wednesday that he believed the meeting was private and not a "political photo opportunity." Archbishop Grove said none of the participants gave permission for videos or photos of the meeting to be published or posted.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, Trump has the support of 55% of Catholic voters in the 2024 presidential election.
(English article Pope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a US election)
