Pope Leo XIV | Source: Getty Images
Pope Leo XIV Has Distant Ties to Celebrities: Find Out Who
The New York Times traced His Holiness's lineage and found distant ties between him and several Hollywood stars and even political figures, including Madonna and Hillary Clinton. Read on to find out more.
Advertisement
Pope Leo XIV comes from a humble background. It's become clear that his upbringing and eventual life trajectory pointed to a meaningful future, and now his connection to public figures—though they followed completely different paths—seems to reaffirm this.
Pope Leo XIV seen during the Holy Mass for the Jubilee of Sports at St. Peter's Basilica on June 15, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
In an article published last Wednesday, the New York Times (NYT) revealed its findings after tracing through Pope Leo's ancestry. The publication found that he had a distant Canadian cousin named Louis Boucher de Grandpre.
Through de Grandpre, Pope Leo is related to Madonna, Pierre and Justin Trudeau, Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, and Jack Kerouac. This ancestor was born in the Quebec city of Trois-Rivières.
Kendall Jenner, Madonna and Justin Bieber attend Rihanna's private Met Gala after party at Up & Down on May 4, 2015, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
According to the NYT, Pope Leo has relatives from Spain, Italy, and France, who later relocated to Quebec in the 1650s. Some of these ancestors were also slaveowners, enslaved peoples, freedom fighters, and noblemen.
Coming into a complex family tree, Pope Leo was born Robert Prevost to Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago. The NYT also noted that he has Creole roots through ancestors from New Orleans.
Pope Leo XIV holds an audience for the Jubilee of Sport at St. Peter's Basilica on June 14, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican. | Source: Getty Images
He became the first American-born pontiff to be voted to the papacy on May 8 of this year. After he was appointed, his brother John Prevost, shared that while other kids played school or army, the pope played priest.
Seeing him take on such a significant position in the Catholic church was surreal for his family, and they were beyond proud.
