▲ Pope Leo XIV
US-born Pope Leo XIV is expected to cast a ballot via absentee voting in the upcoming US midterm elections to be held on the 3rd of next month, US NBC News reported on the 29th local time.
NBC reported that Pope Leo applied for an absentee ballot on the 3rd of last month to the clerk's office in Will County, Illinois, where he is registered to vote.
It has not been confirmed whether the Pope has already completed voting and mailed in his ballot.
Pope Leo XIV, a native of Chicago, Illinois, became the first American pope in history when he was elected in May of last year.
If Pope Leo XIV has finished voting, he will become the first pope to exercise the right to vote in a US election.
However, the county clerk's office stated that it has not yet received the absentee ballot from the Pope, according to NBC News.
The Pope underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung on the 13th of last month after a nodule suspected of being cancerous was discovered.
A biopsy conducted during the surgery confirmed it was lung adenocarcinoma.
According to public records, Pope Leo exercised his right to vote in the 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections before his accession.
He voted in the Republican primary elections in 2012, 2014, and 2016, and previously voted in the Democratic primary elections in 2008 and 2010.
Since his accession, the Pope has publicly voiced criticism against some of US President Donald Trump's policies, including war and stricter immigration regulations.
In particular, the Pope has opposed US military operations against Iran, urging a halt to the war and a peaceful resolution.
In response, President Trump clashed with the Pope, stating that he did not fully understand the situation and should not get involved in the realm of politics.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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