Chicago-born cardinal Robert Francis Prevast was chosen as the new Pope on Thursday and is a descendant of the Creole people of New Orleans.
Both the Pope's maternal grandparents, both of whom were described as black or mulatto in various historical records, lived in the city's 7th district.
Grandparents Joseph Martinez and Louise Bakier eventually moved to Chicago in the early 20th century, where they had daughters: Mildred Martinez, the mother of the Pope.
This discovery means that, as the Pope is known, Leo XIV does not simply break his status as the first American-born clergyman. He also comes from a family that reflects the many threads that make up the intricate and rich fabric of American stories.
The Pope's background was excavated Thursday by New Orleans genealogist Jali C. Honora and confirmed by the New York Times by the Pope's older brother, John Pribullus, 71, who lives outside of Chicago.
“This discovery is a further reminder of how we are woven into as Americans,” Honora said in a text message late Thursday. “We hope to highlight the long history of free and enslaved Black Catholics in this country, including the family of their holy fathers.”
It is unclear whether the new Pope has ever worked on his Creole ancestors in public, and his brother said he has not identified his family as black. His election announcement in Rome focused on his childhood in Chicago and decades of service in Peru.
Working at the historic New Orleans Collection, a museum in the French district, Honora began researching the Pope's background for the French name Prevost, but instead quickly found a connection to the South.
His evidence trajectory linking Leo to New Orleans includes grandparents' marriage certificates from the 7th Ward wedding in 1887, a photograph of the grave markers of the Martinez family in Chicago, and an electronic birth record of Mildred Martinez, showing that he was born in Chicago in 1912.
The birth record lists Joseph Martinez and “Louis Bakix” as Mildred's parents. His father's birthplace is listed as the Dominican Republic. Mother, New Orleans.
Honora also found records from the 1900 census that listed Martinez as “black”, his birthplace as “Haiti”, and his occupation as “cigar maker”. Details of Martinez are available on line six of the census page Honora shared with the Times.
“Joseph Norval Martinez and Louise Bakier were both people of color, but there was no doubt about that,” Honora said.
The exact location of Joseph Martinez's birthplace remains a bit of a mystery. Honora also found records of the 1870 census, which states that the Pope's maternal grandfather was born in Louisiana. However, he said it is not uncommon for people to change their answers in official records.
Joseph Martinez and Louise Bakier were married at Our Lady of the Holy Heart in New Orleans. Until it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1915, the church building was located on Annette Street in the city's 7th Ward, the historic centre of Afrocreole culture.
Also known as the “creole people of color,” Creole has a history of about the same age as Louisiana. The term creole can refer to people of European descent who were born in the Americas, but it generally describes people of mixed races of colour.
Many creoles in Louisiana were known in the 18th and 19th centuries as “Gen's des Courur Ribourg” or people of free colour. Many were French-speaking and Roman Catholics.
Over the decades, they established a foothold in business, building trade, art, and especially music, and contributed greatly to the development of jazz. They continue to be an important chain within the city's famous and alien culture.
Lolita Villavasso Cherry, co-founder of the Creole Genealogy Historical Society, said the revelation of the new Pope's heritage was a tremendous moment in Louisiana Creoles history.
“I hate to say that, but many of us feel that our history was hidden from us,” said Villavasso Cherrie, 79, a retired teacher. In part, she said it was because many Creoles were able to “pass” as white over the years.
She said that many people began studying family history, and it was only the advent of the internet that made them realize Creole's roots. She noted that a considerable number of Louisiana Creoles moved to the Chicago area in the 20th century.
John Presto, the Pope's brother, said their paternal grandparents were from France and his father was born in the United States. He said he and his brothers had not discussed their Creole roots.
“That never mattered,” John Presto said.
All of this meaning touches on some of the worst questions in American society regarding the racial identity of the Pope, but also reflects the rich diversity of American experience.
“We all have only a few degrees (or fewer degrees) removed from each other,” said genealogist Honora.
Julie Bossman contributed a report from Chicago. Susan C. Beech contributed to the research.
