White smoke, Black pope? Genealogist says Leo XIV has Louisiana African roots [View all]
Last edited Thu May 8, 2025, 10:10 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: National Catholic Reporter
Louisiana Creole expert Jari Honora has traced Prevost's ancestry to the Black community of New Orleans. His maternal ancestors lived in the Crescent City before migrating to Chicago in the early 20th century, Honora said.
Leo XIV is not known to have publicly commented having African ancestry, which is part of a mixed heritage that also includes French, Italian and Spanish roots. According to the U.S. Census, Prevost's mother, the late Mildred Martinez, was the mixed-race daughter of Black property owners, the Haitian-born Joseph Martinez and New Orleans native Louise Baquié, a Creole.
As such, Leo XIV could be considered the first Black pope in the history of the Catholic Church, though it is unclear how he identifies racially.
"It's more complicated than that," Honora told Black Catholic Messenger. "I think that a person can be of Black ancestry or have Black roots, but to identify as Black, I think, is all about the lived experience."
Read more: https://www.ncronline.org/news/white-smoke-black-pope-genealogist-says-leo-xiv-has-louisiana-african-roots
From the NY Times;
“It would be so fabulous to have someone who has some connection to our people, who give us the recognition we deserve,” said Ms. Villavasso Cherrie, 79, a retired teacher. “I hate to say it, but we feel, many of us, that our history was hidden from us.”
That is in part, she said, because many Creoles have been able to “pass” as white over the years. It was only with the advent of the internet, she said, that many people began to research their family history and became aware of their Creole roots.
Ms. Villavasso Cherrie noted that in the 20th century, a significant number of Louisiana Creoles migrated to the Chicago area and California.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/us/pope-leo-creole-new-orleans.html
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