VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV, the Catholic Church’s first US-born pontiff, has voted within the United States midterm elections, the primary recognized time a pope has voted in a political election.
The pinnacle of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, who has clashed with US President Donald Trump, submitted his mail-in poll in Chicago, the Vatican stated Friday (Oct 30).
The Chicago-born pontiff “has exercised his proper to vote as a United States citizen, at any time when he was eligible to take action” and believes in “the precise and the obligation of residents to take part in democratic processes”, it stated.
A rift earlier this yr between US President Donald Trump and the pope sparked international headlines.
Leo and Trump repeatedly clashed over papal criticism of the tough crackdown on immigration in the USA and of the battle on Iran, with Trump calling the pontiff “weak” on crime and “horrible” on international coverage.
The pope stated he was “not afraid” of Trump.
In April, after Trump’s menace to destroy Iran, Leo known as on everybody to do their half for peace, urging them to “contact the authorities – political leaders, congressmen – to ask them, to inform them, to work for peace and to reject battle and violence”.
The essential US midterm elections are scheduled to be held on Nov 3.
