Pope Leo XIV Unveils Surprising Hollywood Relatives!
The New York Times, together with genealogists from "American Ancestors" and the "Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami," has identified over 100 people in Leo XIV's family tree.
And the result is astonishing: Stars like Madonna, Justin Bieber, Angelina Jolie, and even power politicians like Hillary Clinton and Canadian Prime Ministers Pierre and Justin Trudeau are said to be distantly related to the new pope! The connection traces back to a French-Canadian ancestor named Louis Boucher de Grandpré, who lived in the 17th/18th century. Who would have thought that a man from Quebec would leave such a pop-cultural legacy?
Madonna and the Pope: The Most Unexpected Family Gathering
Particularly curious is the connection to the "Queen of Pop" Madonna. Both fill huge venues, dominate the big stage, and engage deeply with religion – albeit in completely different ways! While Pope Leo XIV serves as God's representative on Earth, Madonna has been provoking with religious symbols for decades. Just think of her legendary music video for "Like a Prayer" from 1989, which featured a black Jesus, provocative scenes, and burning crosses. Imagine the two meeting for a family dinner!
A Family Tree as Diverse as the World
But Leo XIV's family roots are even more complex and fascinating than just celebrity gossip! His family tree is a true kaleidoscope of world history. A total of 40 ancestors come from France, 24 from Italy, and 21 from Spain. Among them are not only Spanish nobles and freedom fighters but also slaveholders and their victims. Researchers even identified 17 of Leo's American ancestors as African American or "Persons of Color." This pope is truly a child of the world!
The Spicy Reason Behind the Pope's Last Name
And as if that weren't enough, behind the French last name Prevost (without an accent!) of the pope lies a real family drama story. His Sicilian grandfather Salvatore Giovanni Gaetano Riggitano Alito, who emigrated to the USA in 1905, is said by researchers to have left his wife for a French woman! A scandal that even occupied the Chicago press at the time. From this liaison came Jean, the pope's uncle, and Louis, his father.
Uniquely Diverse Roots
Henry Louis Gates Jr., the American literary and cultural scholar who led the research, enthuses: "We all agreed that the pope's roots, after more than a decade of genealogical work of this kind, represent one of the most diverse family trees we have ever created." Pope Leo XIV, who has already gained experience in Peru and Chicago, is truly an American pope – with roots all over the world and even relatives in Hollywood. Now that's a headline, isn't it?
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.