Is Madonna related to Pope Leo XIV? All about her shocking connection to pontiff

Madonna has found herself unexpectedly linked to the Vatican—this time not through controversy, but through family. According to a new New York Times report by historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., the singer is a distant relative of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
The discovery was made through a joint project between The Times, American Ancestors, and the Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, which traced the Pope's family roots on both sides. 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 recent Black relatives.
Digging further into his lineage, the team found that Pope Leo XIV shares a common ancestor, Louis Boucher de Grandpré of Quebec, with a surprising list of celebrities. Among them are Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, Jack Kerouac, Hillary Clinton, and both Pierre and Justin Trudeau, as cited by Express report.
Madonna celebrated the news in classic fashion. On June 16, she posted a screenshot of the headline to X (formerly Twitter) and followed up with a photo on Instagram Stories showing her father, Silvio Ciccone, seated while 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'
Raised Catholic, Madonna has had a famously complicated relationship with the Church. Over the years, she's explored various spiritual paths—including Kabbalah and Sufism—but Catholic themes and imagery have remained central in her work.
Her 1989 hit Like a Prayer sparked worldwide controversy for its religious symbolism, including 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 once again stirred headlines by dressing as the Virgin Mary for Vanity Fair, with images referencing the 12 apostles. Reflecting on the Church's reaction to her work over the decades, Madonna once said 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.'
Pope Leo XIV officially assumed the papacy on May 8, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at age 88 from a stroke. He now holds the historic title of being the first American Pope in the Church's 2,000-year history.
While Madonna's connection to the Church has long been shaped by defiance and symbolism, this new twist adds an unexpected familial layer to her lifelong spiritual narrative.

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