Far above the Atlantic, on a flight toward Uruguay, a pope born in Chicago spoke of a ballot he had cast by mail in his hometown, and of the pride he felt in exercising a civic duty. The midterm result that followed, handing Congress to Democrats, was a verdict on a presidency, yet he chose to leave that verdict unspoken and let the act of participation speak instead. In that small gesture lies a familiar human tension: the one who serves a worldwide church and a foreign state still remembers that he is also a citizen, a voter, a neighbor. And as he travels with a body recovering from surgery,
Pope Leo XIV Says He Is 'Proud to Be an American' After Casting Midterm Ballot
"I'm proud to be an American and to exercise the right."
Mark
Why does a pope voting in a midterm become a story at all?
Mimi
Because he holds two identities. He is the head of the Holy See, a foreign state, but he is also Robert Prevost of Chicago, and that's the name on his voter registration.
Luke
And legally that's not in dispute. The reporting says federal law lets Americans keep their citizenship even if they work for foreign governments. The debate was about optics, not legality.
Mark
How did he handle the questions on the plane?
Mimi
Carefully. He declined to comment on the results and pointed to the Oct. 30 Vatican statement, then said he was proud to be an American and to exercise the right.
Luke
Worth noting he didn't say whom he voted for, and nothing in the reporting suggests he would. The ballot was cast by mail in Chicago, and that's all we know.
Mark
He also mentioned Peru.
Mimi
Yes, he holds Peruvian citizenship and voted there while he lived there. This time he couldn't, because absentee ballots aren't possible, but he said he would have.
Mark
And the health side of the trip?
Mimi
Three weeks after surgery for adenocarcinoma, he's starting a 12-day tour. He says he had no doubt the trip should go ahead.
Luke
That's his own assessment, though. The reporting says doctors found no further treatment was needed, but we only have his word that he feels, in his phrase, maybe better than he looks.
El Pulso
- A pope cast a mail-in ballot in Chicago, and the revelation has ignited debate over whether a foreign head of state should be voting at all.
- The midterm outcome handed Democrats control of Congress, a result read by many as a rebuke of President Trump's agenda, though the pope declined to comment on it.
- Leo navigates two identities, Pope Leo XIV in the Church and Robert Prevost on the voter rolls, and moves between them with humor and deliberate care.
- Three weeks after lung cancer surgery, he launches a 12-day tour through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, insisting he is in good shape and ready to travel.
- His message ahead is clear: early detection saves lives, and healthcare should be a right for every person.
Far above the Atlantic, on a flight toward Uruguay, a pope born in Chicago spoke of a ballot he had cast by mail in his hometown, and of the pride he felt in exercising a civic duty. The midterm result that followed, handing Congress to Democrats, was a verdict on a presidency, yet he chose to leave that verdict unspoken and let the act of participation speak instead. In that small gesture lies a familiar human tension: the one who serves a worldwide church and a foreign state still remembers that he is also a citizen, a voter, a neighbor. And as he travels with a body recovering from surgery, his reflections on health and civic life seem to belong to the same question of what it means to care for others.
On a flight bound for Montevideo, Pope Leo XIV walked to the back of the plane to greet the reporters traveling with him. Among the first things he wanted to talk about was his vote. Asked about the absentee ballot he had cast in Chicago in the U.S. midterms, he pointed to a Vatican statement issued October 30 confirming the ballot, and said simply that he was proud to be an American and to exercise that right. The midterms had handed Democrats control of Congress, a result widely read as a repudiation of President Trump, but Leo would not speak to the outcome itself.
His vote has stirred debate. He leads the Holy See, a foreign state, and when he was elected in May 2025 he took on a new name and a new identity. In Church eyes he is Leo; on his voter registration he is still Robert Prevost. He has moved between those two selves before, joking last weekend with basketball players from Villanova, his alma mater, that the pope takes no sides but Prevost was a Villanovan. He also said he would have voted in Peru's recent election had absentee ballots been possible there.
The journey itself carries its own weight. The twelve-day tour takes him through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, just three weeks after surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, which held a cancerous tumor. The nodule had been found during a routine exam, and doctors later said he needed no further treatment and could travel. Some had doubted he would make the trip, but he never did. "Praise the Lord and thanks to wonderful medical assistance," he said, adding that he had not yet been able to play tennis. "Not yet, but I will."
He credits his recovery to trust in God, skilled doctors and a healthy life, and urges regular checkups as the surest path to early detection. His illness, he says, deepened his commitment to the sick and to the conviction that healthcare should be a right for all people. It is a message he will carry across three countries in the days ahead.
On a flight bound for Montevideo, Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV walked to the back of the plane on Friday to greet the reporters traveling with him, and one of the first things he talked about was his vote. Asked about the Chicago absentee ballot he cast in the U.S. midterm elections, he pointed to a Vatican statement and then added, "I'm proud to be an American and to exercise the right." The midterms gave Democrats control of Congress, a result that amounted to a repudiation of President Donald Trump and his policies. Leo declined to say anything about the outcome itself.
The statement he referred to was issued Oct. 30, when the Vatican confirmed he had submitted a mail-in ballot in his hometown of Chicago. It said he had voted whenever he was eligible, and presented that as evidence of his belief in civic participation. It also said Leo believes in the right and the duty of citizens to take part in democratic processes. The Vatican noted as well that the pope, who holds Peruvian citizenship, had voted in Peru while he lived there.
Peru came up again on the plane. Leo said he had not been able to vote in that country's recent election because absentee ballots are not possible there. "But I would have done it. It's a good thing," he said.
His vote drew some debate. Leo is the head of a foreign state, the Holy See, and he took on a new identity when he was elected on May 8, 2025, becoming Pope Leo XIV, the 266th successor to St. Peter. U.S. federal law lets American citizens keep their citizenship even if they work for foreign governments. But in the eyes of the Catholic Church he is Leo, while the name on his voter registration is Robert Prevost.
The pope has shown a willingness to move between the two identities on delicate matters. Last weekend he hosted basketball players from Villanova University, his alma mater, and from its rival Notre Dame. Leo joked that "the pope" does not take sides, but that "Prevost" was a Villanovan.
The flight itself was notable. It begins a three-nation, 12-day tour that also takes him to Argentina and Peru, and it comes just three weeks after the 71-year-old pope had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. He revealed on Oct. 11 that he had a nodule on his lung, and he underwent surgery two days later. Doctors confirmed it was adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. They removed the lower lobe of the right lung and, after further tests, said he needed no more 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.
"I'm very happy to be here myself," Leo told the reporters. Asked whether he felt as good as he looked, he said, "Maybe better." He acknowledged that some people had doubted he could make the trip, but said that from the first day he had no doubt it had to go forward. "Praise the Lord and thanks to wonderful medical assistance, I'm here today, I think, in fairly good shape," he said. He had not yet been able to play tennis. "Not yet, but I will."
He credited his recovery to trusting God, good doctors and surgeons, and a healthy lifestyle, and said early detection is the best course, calling regular checkups a blessing. His diagnosis, he said, left him with a commitment to stay close to the sick and to stress that healthcare should be a right for all people. That is a message he is expected to carry through Uruguay, Argentina and Peru over the next twelve days.
Citas Notables
I'm proud to be an American and to exercise the right.— Pope Leo XIV, aboard the papal plane
I confess that from the first day, I had no doubt and was convinced that this trip had to go forward.— Pope Leo XIV
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Politics & Governance