Pope Leo XIV’s maternal grandparents were black or mixed and of Creole descent, moving from New Orleans to Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, reports said Friday.
“The family were free people of color prior to the Civil War. When they move to Chicago between 1910 and 1912, they ‘passed’ into the white world,” Jari Honora, a historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, told CNN of the new pope’s mother’s parents.
The pope’s maternal grandfather, Joseph Martinez, was described as a black cigarmaker from “Hayti” in some historical records, while other documents listed his birthplace as the Dominican Republic or Louisiana, the New York Times said.
Trending: She Found Them: Gabbard Reportedly Fires Officials, ‘Deep State’ On Notice
A new report revealed that Pope Leo XIV’s maternal grandparents Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquiex, were
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!