Leo XIV betrays papacy by voting in US midterm elections

The Holy See’s announcement that Pope Leo XIV — the first U.S. citizen to be elected to the papacy — has voted in the U.S. midterm elections by mail raises a serious question: why is an absolute monarch voting in an American election?

For the first time in the Church’s 2,000-year history, a pope has cast a ballot, betraying his sacred office as a Catholic monarch.

“Pope Leo XIV has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so,” according to the Vatican statement. “In keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago.”

Michael Walsh, a British historian and author who has written books on the papacy, told CNN that Leo XIV is the first pope to vote in a democratic, secular election.

“I don’t think popes have ever voted in a democratic election before” ---More...

BREAKING: Pope Leo votes in US midterms, becoming the first pope to vote in a secular election. For the first time in the Church's 2000-year history, a pope has cast a ballot, betraying the sacred office as a Catholic monarch. [url=https://t.co/RAFEiEw5Ww]https://t.co/RAFEiEw5Ww[/url]

— Sign of the Cross (@CatholicSOTC)October 30, 2026