
Pope Leo XIV voted in 2024 U.S. general election — here's which primaries he's voted in
CBSN
The newly elected pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, has not only cast ballots in the papal conclave, but in U.S. elections as well.
The Chicago-born pope — formerly Cardinal Robert F. Prevost — is registered to vote in the Chicago suburb of New Lenox, Ill., and has a mixed voting history of participating in primaries for both parties, according to voting records shared with CBS News and data from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
There is no party registration in Illinois, but to vote in a primary you have to choose a party's ballot to vote on. Prevost has voted in more Republican primaries than Democratic, and the last primary election he voted in was the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

Pope Leo XIV called free speech and the press a "precious gift" as he asked for the release of imprisoned journalists. He made the comments during an audience with some of the 6,000 journalists from around the world who descended on Rome over the past week to cover his election as the first U.S.-born pontiff.

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