ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Leo XIV said Friday that he was proud to exercise his right as an American citizen to vote in the recent U.S. midterm elections, marking what is believed to be the first time a reigning pontiff has participated in a secular democratic contest.
Speaking to journalists traveling with him from Rome to Montevideo, Uruguay, the Chicago-born pope addressed the decision to cast a mail-in ballot in his home city. The Vatican had confirmed on Oct. 30 that the pontiff had submitted an absentee ballot, pointing to his long-standing view that civic engagement is both a right and a duty for citizens.
“I am proud to be an American, and exercise the right,” the 71-year-old pontiff told reporters, as reported by CNN and the Associated Press.
Defending Civic Duty
While the midterm results delivered control of Congress to Democrats, the pope declined to weigh in on the political fallout. When questioned about specific outcomes, including a Senate victory by Democrat James Talarico in Texas, he answered with a flat “no comment,” CNN reported.
U.S. election records show that prior to being elected pope on May 8, 2025, Leo — born Robert Prevost — voted in primary contests for both political parties in Illinois. The AP reported that he pulled Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2019 and Republican ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016, as well as voting in the 2024 general election. Under U.S. federal law, citizens retain their voting rights and citizenship even while serving in leadership roles for foreign entities.
The pope, who also holds Peruvian citizenship from his roughly two decades serving in Peru as an Augustinian missionary and bishop, said he had been unable to vote in Peru’s latest elections because absentee voting was unavailable. “But I would have done it. It’s a good thing,” he told reporters.
Rebound From Cancer Surgery
The 12-day tour across Uruguay, Argentina and Peru marks the most demanding trip of Leo’s pontificate, coming barely three weeks after an operation to treat early-stage lung cancer. On Oct. 13, surgeons excised the lower lobe of his right lung to remove an adenocarcinoma discovered during a routine abdominal screening. Doctors declared the procedure an unqualified success requiring no further therapy, officially clearing him to travel on Oct. 26.
“I confess that from the first day I had no doubt, and was convinced, that this trip had to go forward,” Leo said, crediting his recovery to “trust in God, good doctors and a healthy lifestyle.”
The arduous itinerary spans 19,000 miles and features approximately 50 events and 36 addresses. It will also take the pontiff to Cusco, Peru, which sits over 11,000 feet above sea level. An avid sports enthusiast, Leo joked that he had not resumed playing tennis yet, adding, “Not yet, but I will.”
Call for Universal Healthcare
Following his arrival in Montevideo, Leo used his initial public address to highlight universal healthcare access, drawing directly from his personal brush with serious illness. He told The New York Times on the flight that medical treatment must be viewed as an essential human right.
“Recently, I have experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by illness and have received care for which I am deeply grateful,” the pope said in Uruguay, according to CNN. “This experience leads me to think of the many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis or receive the treatments they need.”
Leo also cautioned against the unchecked expansion of artificial intelligence in the workplace, urging that technological progress protect worker dignity. The papal tour continues through next week with stops across his former home diocese in Peru and neighboring Argentina.
