On a flight from Rome toward South America, the first American-born pope, Leo XIV, was asked what it meant to cast a ballot in the United States midterms, and he answered with quiet pride: he was glad to exercise a citizen's right. Like anyone who has ever stood at the edge of a voting booth, he kept his own choice private and his reading of the outcome to himself. The moment joins a long human story in which spiritual leaders carry civic lives as well, and in which a man recovering from cancer surgery sets out on a demanding journey that he had never doubted would happen.
Pope Leo XIV Says He Is 'Proud to Be an American' After Voting in US Midterms
"I am proud to be an American, and exercise the right."
Mark
Why does a pope voting make news at all?
Mimi
Because it's likely the first time a pope has voted in a secular democratic election. He cast a mail-in ballot, and the Vatican confirmed it on October 30.
Mark
And on the plane he spoke about it directly.
Mimi
Yes, he said he was proud to be an American and to exercise the right to vote. That was his answer to CNN's question.
Luke
Worth noting what he didn't say. We don't know how he voted. He declined to react to the results.
Mark
He said "no comment" on Texas, right?
Mimi
Right, on Talarico's Senate win in a traditionally Republican state.
Luke
And his disagreements with the Trump administration on Iran and migration are public, but that doesn't tell us his ballot. Voting in both parties' Illinois primaries in the past doesn't either.
Mark
What about his health?
Mimi
Three weeks after lung cancer surgery he's starting a 12-day tour, 19,000 miles, 36 speeches, about 50 events, including Cusco's altitude.
Luke
The recovery claims come via the Vatican and the pope himself: early detection, successful surgery, no further treatment. Those are their statements, not independent medical findings.
Mimi
He did say he never doubted the trip would go ahead.
Il Polso
- A pope who casts a mail-in ballot in a US election has stepped into an unfamiliar tension between sacred office and secular citizenship.
- Journalists pressed him on the midterm results and on Texas, and he answered only with a terse 'no comment' that left the public guessing.
- Barely three weeks after lung cancer surgery, he is pushing forward with a 19,000-mile, 12-day tour packed with 36 speeches and high-altitude stops in Cusco.
- The trip has begun in Uruguay, and the Peru leg and the thin air of the Andes now stand as the real test of his recovery.
On a flight from Rome toward South America, the first American-born pope, Leo XIV, was asked what it meant to cast a ballot in the United States midterms, and he answered with quiet pride: he was glad to exercise a citizen's right. Like anyone who has ever stood at the edge of a voting booth, he kept his own choice private and his reading of the outcome to himself. The moment joins a long human story in which spiritual leaders carry civic lives as well, and in which a man recovering from cancer surgery sets out on a demanding journey that he had never doubted would happen.
Somewhere over the Atlantic on a Friday flight from Rome to Montevideo, Pope Leo XIV walked the aisle of the papal plane and greeted the journalists travelling with him. Asked by CNN what it meant to have voted in the recent US midterms, the first American-born pope answered simply: he was proud to be an American and to exercise the right to vote. The Vatican had confirmed his mail-in ballot on October 30, noting that he had always tried to vote when he could.
He did not say how he had voted, nor what he thought of the results. When asked about Texas, where a Democrat had taken the Senate seat in a traditionally Republican state, he replied only, "no comment." His earlier voting record, including primaries in Illinois and a vote in 2024, is a matter of public record, and he has publicly disagreed with the Trump administration on the war in Iran and on migration. His ballot remains a private matter.
The flight marks the start of the most significant trip of his papacy, just over three weeks after lung cancer surgery. He said he never doubted the journey would go ahead and described himself as in fairly good shape, crediting trust in God, good doctors and a healthy life. The Vatican says the cancer was caught early, fully removed, and requires no further treatment.
The 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is demanding, with 19,000 miles, 36 speeches and around 50 events, including Cusco at over 11,000 feet. His illness has shaped his words: he spoke of healthcare as a right for all, urged the sick not to fear, and called regular checks a blessing. He also said he hopes to return to tennis. Peru, where he spent about two decades as a missionary and bishop, is the longest leg, and he said he was glad to be going back. There was levity too, when he joked that a Springsteen concert for reporters was 'above my paygrade.' The journey has begun in Uruguay, and the harder tests lie ahead.
Somewhere over the Atlantic on Friday, on a flight from Rome to Montevideo, Pope Leo XIV walked the aisle of the papal plane and greeted the journalists traveling with him. When CNN asked what it meant to him to have voted in the recent US midterm elections, the first US-born pope answered plainly. "I am proud to be an American, and exercise the right [to vote]," he said.
His mail-in ballot is likely the first time a pope has voted in a secular, democratic election. On October 30, the Vatican confirmed that Leo had voted in the midterms, adding that he had always sought to vote when he could. He referred back to that statement on the plane.
What he did not do was say how he voted, or what he made of the outcome. He offered no reaction to the midterm results while on board. Asked about Texas, where the traditionally Republican state elected Democratic Senator James Talarico, he said "no comment." How he cast his ballot remains unknown.
There is a paper trail for the man before the papacy. Records show that Leo, whose baptismal name is Robert Prevost, voted in both Republican and Democratic primaries in Illinois in the past, and that he voted in the 2024 election. The Chicago-born pontiff has also publicly disagreed with President Donald Trump's administration on issues including the war in Iran and migration.
The flight marked the start of the most significant trip of his papacy, coming a little more than three weeks after lung cancer surgery. The pope said he never doubted it would go ahead. "I know some people were doubtful about this trip taking place," he told reporters. "I confess that from the first day I had no doubt, and was convinced, that this trip had to go forward." He called himself in "fairly good shape" and credited "trust in God, good doctors and a healthy lifestyle," praising his "wonderful" medical team. According to the Vatican, doctors say the cancer was caught at an early stage during routine checks, the surgery removed it successfully, and no further treatment is needed.
The schedule is demanding. The 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru covers 19,000 miles, with 36 speeches and around 50 events. It includes Cusco, at more than 11,000 feet above sea level, where each breath carries 35% less oxygen.
The illness shaped other answers. Speaking to a New York Times journalist, Leo said that after his time in hospital he wanted to stress that healthcare should be a right of all people, and that he felt close to those who are sick. He told a reporter from the Catholic outlet Our Sunday Visitor that people facing a cancer diagnosis should not be afraid, adding that early detection is obviously the best way to go and that regular checks are a blessing. A fan of sports, he said he plans to return to playing tennis.
The longest leg of the trip is in Peru, where he served as a missionary and bishop for around two decades. He said he was very happy to be going back. There was levity too: a Reuters journalist, noting his recent meeting with Bob Dylan, asked whether he could arrange a Bruce Springsteen concert for Vatican reporters. "Some things are above my paygrade," the pope joked.
The trip now begins in Uruguay, with the Peru visit and the high altitude of Cusco still ahead, the clearest test yet of his recovery.
Citazioni salienti
I am proud to be an American, and exercise the right [to vote].— Pope Leo XIV, aboard the papal plane
Some things are above my paygrade.— Pope Leo XIV, on a Springsteen concert request
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Politics & Governance