Pope Leo XIV, leader of the Catholic Church, has a family tree full of surprises, including pop royalty like Justin Bieber and Madonna, and major political figures.
Genealogical research from the New York Times Magazine revealed that the new pope, born Robert Francis Prevost, is related to these stars through their shared lineage back to Louis Boucher de Grandpre, a 17th-century French Canadian whose descendants eventually spread across North America.
Through this line, Pope Leo shares ancestral ties with not only Bieber and Madonna, but also Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. All are descended from French settlers who migrated to Quebec in the 1600s before branching into the US over generations.
Madonna reacted to the news, posting a picture of her dad on Instagram, with the caption “Silvio! We’re related to the Pope! Strike a Pose!”
The Pope’s diverse heritage explored
But the celebrity connections are only part his diverse ancestry. The pope’s lineage spans Spain, Italy, France, Cuba, and the United States, with roots in colonial history and the American South.
His maternal ancestors lived in New Orleans’ historic Seventh Ward and were described in records as Black and multiracial. At least 17 of his forebears were identified as “mulatto,” “quadroon,” or “free people of color,” according to the article. One of his great-great-grandmothers was labeled a “free negresse” in early 19th-century Louisiana.
In an unusual twist, several of his Black ancestors also enslaved others – a rare but documented phenomenon among free Black property owners in 19th-century Louisiana.
On his father’s side, the story includes an Italian grandfather who left the priesthood to pursue a relationship with a French woman, resulting in the pope’s family adopting the surname “Prevost.”
Among his more illustrious relatives is Antonio José de Sucre, the liberator of South America and close ally of Simón Bolívar. Sucre, the first elected president of Bolivia, shares a common ancestor through the pope’s Spanish military forebears.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.