Pope Leo XIV Says He Is 'Proud to Be an American' After Casting Chicago Mail-In Ballot

On a flight bound for Montevideo on Friday, Pope Leo XIV walked to the back of the papal plane to greet reporters and told them he was "proud to be an American and to exercise the right" to vote. The election in question was the U.S. midterms, which gave Democrats control of Congress in a repudiation of President Donald Trump and his policies. Leo would not say anything about the result.

When reporters pressed him, he pointed to a Vatican statement issued Oct. 30, which confirmed he had submitted a mail-in ballot in his hometown of Chicago. That statement said he had voted whenever he was eligible, as an expression of his belief in civic participation, and that he believes in the right and the duty of citizens to take part in democratic processes. It also noted that the pope, who holds Peruvian citizenship as well, had voted in Peru while he lived there. Asked about Peru's recent election, Leo said he had been unable to take part because absentee ballots "aren't possible." He added: "But I would have done it. It's a good thing."

The ballot had stirred some debate. Leo leads a foreign state, the Holy See, and took a new name when he was elected on May 8, 2025, becoming the 266th successor to St. Peter. U.S. federal law lets American citizens keep their citizenship even if they work for foreign governments. But within the Church he is Leo, while the name on the voter registration is Robert Prevost.

The pope has shown he can move between the two identities when a delicate matter calls for it. Last weekend he hosted basketball players from Villanova University, his alma mater, and from rival Notre Dame. He joked that "the pope" does not take sides, but that "Prevost" was a Villanovan.

The flight itself was notable. It begins a 12-day, three-nation tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, coming just three weeks after the 71-year-old pope had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. "I'm very happy to be here myself," he told reporters. Asked whether he felt as good as he looked, he answered: "Maybe better."

Leo acknowledged that some had doubted he would make the journey. He disclosed on Oct. 11 that a nodule had been found in his lung, and he was operated on two days later. "I confess that from the first day, I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward," he said. Doctors confirmed the growth was adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, and removed the lower lobe of his right lung. After further tests, they said he needed no additional treatment and could travel. The nodule was found during a routine exam sometime between his Sept. 25-28 trip to France and the Oct. 11 announcement.

He credited "Trusting God, good doctors, good surgeons, and overall I think a healthy lifestyle," and said, "Early detection is obviously the best way to go, and so regular checkups are a blessing." He has not yet been able to return to tennis. "Not yet, but I will," he said.

Leo said the diagnosis left him with a commitment to stay close to the sick, and to stress that healthcare should be a right for all people. He is expected to press that message during the tour, which continues through Argentina and ends in Peru.