Jun 18, 2025 06:43 PM IST New Orleans-based genealogist first uncovered the Pope’s Creole ancestry, revealing that the 69-year-old pontiff has current Black kinfolk. Madonna has discovered herself unexpectedly linked to the Vatican—this time not by way of controversy, however by way of household. According to a brand new New York Times report by historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., the singer is a distant relative of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV. Pope Leo XIV shares a typical ancestor, Louis Boucher de Grandpré of Quebec, with a stunning checklist of celebrities amongst them are Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, Jack Kerouac, Hillary Clinton, and each Pierre and Justin Trudeau.(AFP) The discovery was made by way of a joint mission between The Times, American Ancestors, and the Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, which traced the Pope’s household roots on each side. New Orleans-based genealogist Jari C. Honora first uncovered the Pope’s Creole ancestry, revealing that the 69-year-old pontiff—born Robert Francis Prevost—has current Black kinfolk. Digging additional into his lineage, the staff discovered that Pope Leo XIV shares a typical ancestor, Louis Boucher de Grandpré of Quebec, with a stunning checklist of celebrities. Among them are Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, Jack Kerouac, Hillary Clinton, and each Pierre and Justin Trudeau, as cited by Express report. Madonna celebrated the information in basic style. On June 16, she posted a screenshot of the headline to X (previously Twitter) and adopted up with a photograph on Instagram Stories displaying her father, Silvio Ciccone, seated whereas she strikes a pose beside him. Her caption: “Silvio, We’re related to the Pope! Strike a pose!” Also Read: Madonna, Elton John ‘finally bury the hatchet’ after decade-long feud: ‘A healing moment’ Madonna’s relation with churchRaised Catholic, Madonna has had a famously sophisticated relationship with the Church. Over the years, she’s explored varied non secular paths—together with Kabbalah and Sufism—however Catholic themes and imagery have remained central in her work. Her 1989 hit Like a Prayer sparked worldwide controversy for its spiritual symbolism, together with scenes of burning crosses and a Black saint resembling Jesus. Pope John Paul II condemned the video and urged Catholics to boycott her Blond Ambition tour. In 2023, she as soon as once more stirred headlines by dressing because the Virgin Mary for Vanity Fair, with photographs referencing the 12 apostles. Reflecting on the Church’s response to her work over the a long time, Madonna as soon as stated she was “shocked to see myself being attacked by the Church, because they weren’t able to understand how much my work was trying to produce something good.” She even tweeted at Pope Francis in 2015, joking about her fraught relationship with the Church: “I’m a good Catholic. I swear! I mean I don’t Swear! It’s been a few decades since my last confession. Would it be possible to meet up one day to discuss some important matters? I’ve been excommunicated three times. It doesn’t seem fair. Sincerely, Madonna.” About Pope Leo XIVPope Leo XIV formally assumed the papacy on May 8, following the demise of Pope Francis on April 21 at age 88 from a stroke. He now holds the historic title of being the primary American Pope within the Church’s 2,000-year historical past. While Madonna’s connection to the Church has lengthy been formed by defiance and symbolism, this new twist provides an sudden familial layer to her lifelong non secular narrative.
