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Did Pope Leo XIV's family own slaves? Unique ancestral links to slavery revealed; ‘we were both’
Pope Leo XIV said his family included both slaves and slaveowners, calling that history part of America's strength and praising nation's enduring principles.
Pope Leo XIV was the guest of honor as Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli was joined by 164 child singers in a performance at the Pope's summer house, the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo.
The performance was part of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s “Voices Of” program. It brings children from various parts of the world affected by poverty or conflict for a workshop, which preceded the July 29 performance. This year, the children came from Jerusalem, Uganda, Italy, among others.
Highlighting the initiative, Pope Leo spoke to NBC's Tom Llamas in an exclusive interview from Castel Gandolfo. In the interview, he talked about his immigration background and his family's link to slavery in the US.
The 70-year-old stressed that his ancestors were "both slaves and slave owners" - a remarkably unique connection to the 19th-century phenomenon. Naturally, it sparked curiosity about Pope Leo XIV's ancestry - especially among his fellow Americans.
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What Did Pope Leo XIV Say About His Family's Links To Slavery
The Pope referenced his ancestors' link to slavery when Tom Llamas asked him about what he loves about America, given he himself is from Chicago. He started with the heritage of his family in the country, noting that his mother's ancestors "were both slaves and slaveowners.”
“I come from a family that my grandparents were immigrants," Pope Leo said. "On my mother’s side we have people who were both slaves and slaveowners.”
"There's a history of, if you will, growing up and the kind of experience that helps me to recognize myself as one of the greatest wealth of the United States," he continued. "And I continue to hold the principles that have been a part of being American for so many years."
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What We Know About Pope Leo XIV's Maternal Genealogy
Real name Robert Francis Prevost, the genealogy of Pope Leo XIV has been well documented since his election as the new leader of the Vatican. According to an Associated Press report from May 10, 2025, researcher Jari Honora found that the parents of Pope Leo's mother, Mildred Anges Martinez, were “free people of color” in Louisiana. Honora found out the family's Creole links based on 19th-century census records.
The research revealed that Pope Leo's maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquiex, were of Haitian and Mullato origin, respectively. They married in New Orleans in 1887 and lived in the city’s historically Creole Seventh Ward.
Records identify Martinez's parents, Jacques Martinez and Marie Rosa Ramos, as "free people of color." Baquiex's parents, Ferdinand Baquiex and Eugenie Grandbois, were Mullato.
The Pope’s grandparents migrated to Chicago around 1910 and “passed for white,” Honora told AP. The Pope's mother is identified as “white” on her birth certificate from 1912.
Pope Leo's Paternal Heritage
Louis Marius Prevost, the Pope's father, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He served as a US Navy officer during World War II. His grandfather, Salvatore Giovanni Gaetano Riggitano, was from Sicily in Italy and came to the US in 1903. Grandmother Louise Marie Fontaine, meanwhile, is from Normandy, France.
