Barrier-Breaking Pope Leo XIV: The First American Pontiff Has Black Roots

For the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, an American — with Black and Creole ancestry to boot — has been elected pope. 

On May 8, the second day of the conclave, Cardinal Robert Prevost, a native of Chicago,  was chosen to succeed Pope Francis and will now be known as Pope Leo XIV.  

After the white smoke emerged from the Vatican chimney, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti made the announcement from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, following centuries-old tradition, delivering the proclamation in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum — Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you news of great joy — We have a pope!”)

However, Pope Leo XIV’s election is not only historic as the first dual American and Peruvian citizen to serve as pontiff, but because the Chicago-born pope has Black roots.

According to genealogist Jari Christopher Honora, his maternal lineage traces directly to the Black community of New Orleans’ 7th Ward, with family ties to Haiti, and census records identifying his ancestors as “Black” or “Mulatto.”

“By the Europeans’ own ‘1/8th’ rules, we have a Black Pope,” justice correspondent Elie Mystal declared. “Anyway, [the] pope’s grandfather is Haitian.” 

Prevost, 69, succeeds Pope Francis, who led the Church from 2013 until his death last month. 

His election came from a conclave in which two other leading contenders—Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo—were also men of African descent.

Reactions poured in as word of the historic election spread. 

Retired journalism professor Seth Abramson posted, “The first American Pope, Leo XIV, has just been elected. Prevost, from Chicago, is deemed to be in the mold of Pope Francis — a progressive. Yes, this is real.”

The announcement of a new pope is bigger than just the Catholic Church, but is about a worldwide leader working to connect across religions, backgrounds, and cultures.

“As an American and Pope, [Leo XIV] inherits the succession of those committed to peace, justice, and the dignity of all human life. We join those in America and the many around the world in praying for his success as he begins responding to the need to reach across religious lines to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect,” said Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad, The Nation’s Mosque. “As Muslims, we recognize in him a kindred spirit as one upholding the sacred values of mercy, compassion, and service to the poor and marginalized. May God bless his efforts to be successful.”

Who is Pope Leo XIV?

Born on Sept. 14, 1955, a young Prevost entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977, took his solemn vows in 1981 and was ordained a priest the following year. 

He studied theology in Chicago and earned a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University in Rome. 

His early ministry took him to Peru, where he worked in missions and served in various ecclesiastical and educational roles.

The Chicago native returned to the U.S. in 1999 to become provincial prior of the Augustinian province based in hometown and was later elected prior general of the Order worldwide. 

In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and elevated him to bishop. He served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 and held multiple leadership roles in the Peruvian Episcopal Conference.

Prevost was tapped by Pope Francis in 2023 to serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. 

He was made a cardinal in September 2023 and has served on several key Vatican dicasteries, including those for Evangelization, Doctrine of the Faith, and Clergy.

Now officially named Pope Leo XIV, he is expected to continue Pope Francis’s reform-minded agenda, which focuses on inclusion, social justice, and pastoral care.

In his first address as pope he told the large crowd: “Peace be with you all.”

His address focused on continuing Pope Francis’ legacy of uplifting all God’s people and working toward unity and progress.

“The pope who blessed Rome, gave his blessing to the entire world. God loves us. God loves you all, and evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God,” he said, speaking in Italian. 

Pope Leo XIV underscored the importance of unity in fighting worldwide challenges and promoting God’s peace and love.

“Therefore without fear, united hand-in-hand with God and amongst ourselves, let us go forward. We are the disciples of Christ, the world needs his light.” 

‘We Kind of Got a Black Pope’

Black America is taking pride in a truth shaking up the Vatican and resonating through the streets of New Orleans: Pope Leo XIV—formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago—has Black and Creole roots, and not just symbolic ones. 

“We kind of got a Black Pope,” Mystal said. “‘End Woke’ is not gonna be happy about this.”

Honora, a New Orleans historian speaking to the National Catholic Reporter and Black Catholic Messenger, detailed how the pope’s grandparents married in 1887 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church on Annette Street in New Orleans before migrating north. 

“As a Black man, a proud son of New Orleans, and the U.S. Congressman representing the very 7th Ward neighborhood where our new pope’s family hails from, I am bursting with pride today,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “This is history! The first American Pope, with Creole and Haitian roots, rising from the streets of New Orleans to the Vatican. As a Xavier University alum, I know how deeply faith and resilience run in our community. We celebrate this moment—with joy, with prayers, and with pride.”

His mother, Mildred Martínez, was the first child in the family born in Chicago. 

“The Holy Father’s ancestors are identified as either Black or Mulatto,” Honora explained.

Further, Pope Leo XIV is a member of the Augustinian Order, named after the African theologian St. Augustine of Hippo. 

Before his Black roots were publicized, Leo XIV was known for his outspokenness on racial justice, immigrant rights, gun reform, and the abolition of the death penalty. 

Time magazine reported that his selection represented a Vatican rebuke of efforts by wealthy Americans and political operatives aligned with Donald Trump to influence the papal outcome.

Known in Rome as “The Latin Yankee,” Leo XIV used his verified X account (@drprevost) to amplify criticism of Trump-era immigration policies, often reposting commentary from respected Catholic figures. 

Former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial called Leo XIV’s background “universal.” 

“Here’s an American whose ministry was in Peru, who has roots in the American South and also ancestry in the American Black community,” said Morial, president of the National Urban League. 

From Black neighborhoods of Chicago and the Creole corridors of New Orleans, many have said Pope Leo XIV’s election means representation, resilience, and the reshaping of history at the highest level of the Catholic Church. 

“We celebrate this moment—not because it erases the struggles of our past, but because it affirms that our faith, our heritage, and our presence matter,” Rep. Carter said. “This is history, and it belongs to all of us.”