US EditionPope Leo XIV's Creole heritage highlights complex history of racism and the church in America
- The College of Cardinals elevated Pope Leo XIV to lead the Roman Catholic Church last week, revealing his Creole heritage from New Orleans and Haiti.
- Historical records show Pope Leo XIV’s maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, were listed as Black in 19th-century census records but identified as white by 1920 after moving to Chicago.
- Genealogist Jari Honora discovered the pope’s ancestry through marriage certificates and census data, highlighting sacramental records that document the family’s multiracial background and cultural roots.
- Honora was intrigued by the pope’s previous last name, Prevost, and highlighted that these sacred records document the lineage of a diverse range of people, including those who were poor, uneducated, immigrants, as well as wealthy individuals, popes, and royalty.
- This revelation underscores America's complex racial history and suggests that Pope Leo XIV may choose how much his mixed heritage influences his role and the church’s recognition of Black Catholics.
139 Articles
139 Articles
Records Trace Pope Leo XIV’s Ancestry to Black, Creole Roots
The 1887 marriage certificate of Pope Leo XIV’s maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez (left) and Louise Baquié, lists Martinez’s birthplace as Haiti. Baquié’s birth records indicate she was born in New Orleans, and they were listed on several census documents as black. (Photos: Courtesy of Chris Smothers/Unearthing Your Roots) by Gina Christian (OSV) — The discovery that the first U.S.-born pope has black and Creole roots is a finding that illu…
Is the new pope Black? The answer isn’t so simple – The Bay State Banner
Did the Catholic church just choose its first African American pope? That question set Black social media on fire in the hours following the election of Robert Prevost, the first American to become pontiff in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history.
Pope Leo XIV’s Link to Haiti is Part of a broader American Story of Race, Citizenship and Migration
By Chelsea Stieber, Tulane University (The Conversation) – Early coverage of Pope Leo XIV has explored the first American pontiff’s Chicago upbringing, as well as the many years he spent in Peru, first as a missionary and then as a bishop. Genealogist Jari Honora broke the story of the pope’s ancestors’ connection to the Creole of color community in New Orleans. A family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection’s Williams Research Center…
Central Maine News
Portland Press HeraldPortland offers insight into Pope Leo’s Black heritage
From 1875 to 1900, a former slave guided Maine’s largest diocese, passing for white.
'The Pope Got Some Black In Him': MAGA Erupts at Old Leo XIV Tweets Criticizing Donald Trump as Fans Refer to His Haitian Roots
It seems that Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, has previously condemned President Donald Trump’s border policies and deportations long before his historic election on Thursday, May 8. MAGA maniacs have taken to social media to drag him, bypassing that he is considered the highest-ranking minister in the Catholic Church. Others have defended the new pope, claiming his views are close to Jesus — further sugg…
Pope Leo XIV’s link to Haiti is part of a broader American story of race, citizenship and migration
Pope Leo XIV appears before thousands of journalists on May 12, 2025, in Vatican City. Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images by Chelsea Stieber, Tulane University Early coverage of Pope Leo XIV has explored the first American pontiff’s Chicago upbringing, as well as the many years he spent in Peru, first as a missionary and … Continued
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