When Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the Vatican balcony after his historic election, headlines celebrated him as the first pope from the United States. But another detail quickly stirred conversation: Is he also the first Black pope?
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois, Pope Leo’s ancestry reveals a complex American story. His maternal line traces back to New Orleans Creoles of color, including his great-great-grandmother, Celeste Lemelle, a free woman of color from a family whose wealth came from cattle ranching in 19th-century Louisiana. That family tree was verified by multiple genealogists, including Jari C. Honora and Alex DaPaul Lee, who scoured property records, census data, and marriage certificates.
Pope Leo XIV’s creole ancestry traced to free people of color in Louisiana
Pope Leo’s older brother, John Prevost, confirmed the genealogical findings to The New York Times, noting that the family never actually discussed it. In the 1800s, some members of Pope Leo’s maternal line were recorded as “mulatto” in census documents, only to be listed as white in later decades. This kind of reclassification was common among Creoles of color who migrated north during the Great Migration, often in search of greater opportunity and less racial scrutiny.
But whether the family claimed Blackness or not, their experiences and status were shaped by systems like the one-drop rule, which historically deemed anyone with African ancestry as Black, regardless of how they presented or lived. It’s a complicated reality that’s rooted in survival, social mobility, and institutional racism.
Black Catholic history and the one-drop rule still echo in Pope Leo’s story
That’s why Pope Leo’s background matters. His lineage is a reminder of the untold stories within Catholic history, especially those of Black Catholics in America who helped build the church while navigating racial hierarchies. His great-great-grandmother’s family once owned land, ran businesses and were part of a vibrant, though often marginalized, Creole society. Her descendants eventually made their way to Illinois, part of a larger migration of Creole families seeking freedom from the constraints of Jim Crow laws.
Today, Pope Leo XIV represents more than a single identity. He’s Augustinian, American, Catholic, and, yes, according to historical records, Creole with African ancestry. The Vatican may be thousands of miles away from New Orleans’ Seventh Ward, but the pontiff’s story is rooted there. And whether or not his family sees it that way, many Black Catholics do — and they’re celebrating accordingly.