Wait… Is the New Pope Black? Let’s Talk About Pope Leo XIV and the Unexpected History of Black Popes
So… we just got a new pope — and the internet is spiraling (in the best way possible) over one question: Is Pope Leo XIV actually Black?
Okay, technically no one’s handing out an ancestry report from 23andMe just yet, but buckle up, because this story is juicy and historic.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is already making headlines as the first U.S.-born pope in Catholic history. But plot twist: according to newly uncovered genealogical research, he may also be of Creole descent — and yes, that could mean the pope is Black.
Yep. The tea was spilled by New Orleans genealogist Jari C. Honora, who discovered that the new pope’s maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, were listed as Black or mulatto in early 20th-century Louisiana records. They lived in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward — a historically Black Catholic neighborhood known for its Afro-Caribbean, African, and French heritage. (Translation: culture for days.)
The grandparents later moved to Chicago, where the pope’s mom, Mildred Martinez, was born. The family didn’t identify as Black, but records — and photos — suggest a more complex and colorful heritage. Basically, Pope Leo XIV is serving ancestral layers, and we love to see it.
Now, before anyone starts acting like the Catholic Church has never seen melanin at the top — let’s rewind.
Because Black popes? They’ve existed.
Back in the early centuries of the Church, there were at least three popes of African descent:
- Pope Victor I (189–199 AD) from North Africa. He pushed for Easter to be celebrated on a Sunday — major move.
- Pope Miltiades (311–314 AD), also African, who helped end Christian persecution in Rome.
- Pope Gelasius I (492–496 AD), another African-born leader who wrote a lot about church-state relations and was also the original “stay out of my lane” pope.
So no, this wouldn’t be the first time someone with Black ancestry held the keys to the Vatican.
The difference? This time, the revelation is happening in real time — and it’s kind of iconic.
Imagine growing up Catholic, rarely seeing yourself in stained glass windows or church portraits, only to find out the new pope might have roots that look like yours. It’s giving holy representation. It’s giving “Black history is world history.” It’s giving divinely unexpected.
To be clear, Pope Leo XIV hasn’t commented on the discovery yet, and his brother has said the family doesn’t claim Black identity. But the fact that his bloodline traces back to Black Creole New Orleans? That’s history. That’s legacy. That’s something.
And whether he embraces it or not, the symbolism is there — and it’s not lost on Black Catholics who’ve waited centuries to feel seen.
So yes, the new pope might just be Black. And no, he wouldn’t be the first.
But in 2025, it hits differently. And we’re paying attention.
God works in mysterious ways… and sometimes, with Creole grandmas.