New pope has Creole roots in New Orleans

Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born cardinal selected on Thursday as the new pope, is descended from Creole people of colour from New Orleans.The pope's maternal grandparents, both of whom are described as Black or mulatto in various historical records, lived in the city's Seventh Ward, an area that is traditionally Catholic and a melting pot of people with African, Caribbean and European roots.The grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquie, eventually moved to Chicago in the early 20th century and had a daughter: Mildred Martinez, the pope's mother.The discovery means that Leo XIV, as the pope will be known, is not only breaking ground as the first US-born pontiff. He also comes from a family that reflects the many threads that make up the complicated and rich fabric of the American story.The pope's background was unearthed on Thursday by a New Orleans genealogist, Jari C Honora, and confirmed to NYT by the pope's older brother, John Prevost, 71, who lives in the Chicago suburbs."This discovery is just an additional reminder of how interwoven we are as Americans," Honora said in a text message late Thursday. "I hope that it will highlight the long history of Black Catholics, both free and enslaved, in this country, which includes the Holy Father's family."It's unclear whether the new pope has ever addressed his Creole ancestry in public, and his brother said that the family did not identify as Black. The announcement of his election in Rome focused on his early life in Chicago and decades of service in Peru.