Pope Leo XIV’s family tree is full of surprises, and fans can’t get enough. Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, he became Pope on May 8, following Pope Francis’s passing. Since stepping into the role, he’s called for peace in Ukraine, Gaza, and even spoken out against US policies.
Fans begged PBS’s Finding Your Roots host Henry Louis Gates Jr. to dig into Pope Leo’s ancestry. Genealogists traced his roots back to the 1500s and made a shocking discovery: he’s distantly related to Madonna.
Through a maternal line from the 1590s, Pope Leo and the Queen of Pop are ninth cousins, several times removed. Social media exploded with jokes like, “Papa don’t preach, but her distant relative does.”
But Madonna isn’t the only surprise. The Pope is also related to Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, the Trudeaus, and writer Jack Kerouac. From freedom fighters to noblemen, his family history is as diverse as it is fascinating. People can’t wait to see what comes out next.
