Featured Image Credit: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Madonna, Celebrity News, Pope Leo
Joshua Nair
Topics: Madonna, Celebrity News, Pope Leo
The new Pope might be a blood-relative to pop icon Madonna.
No, really. Pope Leo XIV's family tree has been revealed in a new piece published in the New York Times, revealing some shocking links.
It may be true that, if you go far back enough, you could be related to anyone, but it was discovered that the leader of the Catholic Church is actually linked with a number of A-list celebrities, through one common ancestor.
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The 69-year-old was elected as Pope on 8 May 2025, following the death of close friend Pope Francis.
Pope Leo was considered as a dark horse to be elected Pope though, as he is an American, and there had never been a Pope from the US before.
With his roots in North America, it should come as no surprise that he has ancestral links across the continent itself, as well as across several nations in Western Europe.
This includes, France, Italy, and Spain, highlighting the history of American immigration, while some also appeared from Cuba and Canada, among other countries.
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Several ancestors of the Pope were also reported to be Black, according to the New York Times article, while he also has two freedom fighters as part of his family tree.
But above all, it was found through the extension of work carried out by genealogist Jari C. Honora, that the leader of the Catholic Church has links with Madonna.
Madonna was raised Catholic, and was even confirmed under the name, Veronica.
But the American singer is known for her controversial depictions of Catholicism over the years, most of all her 1989 pop hit 'Like A Prayer', where she burns crosses and depicts Jesus as a sensual being, who was Black.
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Her portrayal of the religion received backlash from the Vatican, though this hasn't stopped her from celebrating her faith.
Madonna brought the crucifix symbol into the fashion world, where it has remained a big part of pop culture ever since, on items such as jewellery.
It's not just the 66-year-old that's related to the Pope though, as it was found that through Canadian forebear, Louis Boucher de Grandpre from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, that he had a number of famous distant cousins.
Pope Leo is ninth cousins, several times removed, from some recognisable names that include Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, Hillary Clinton, and Justin Trudeau, among others.
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But Madonna was the only one from the list of names to go public with the news, sharing that she was over the moon to find the news out.
Taking to Instagram, she posted a photo with her 94-year-old father and captioned it, 'Silvio, We're related to the Pope! Strike a pose!'
Madonna can be seen standing behind her father in a dramatic pose, displaying her happiness at the familial link.