Pope Leo XIV, born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, is a descendant of Creole people of color from New Orleans, according to a genealogist and confirmed by members of his family.
The Pope’s grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, described as being either Black or mulatto in various historical documentation, moved to Chicago from New Orleans’ Seventh Ward in the early 20th century, where they had a daughter, Mildred Martinez, the mother of the Pope, reports The New York Times.
A New Orleans genealogist, Jari C. Honora, traced the Pope’s background Thursday, and the pontiff’s older Brother, John Prevost, 71, confirmed the lineage to the Times.
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