{
  "id": 17229176,
  "title": "Pope votes in US midterm elections, Vatican confirms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/pope-votes-in-us-midterm-elections-vatican-confirms",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T13:40:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/pope-votes-in-us-midterm-elections-vatican-confirms/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff born in the United States, has cast his ballot in the recent U.S. midterm elections, the Vatican confirmed. Robert Francis Prevost, who served as Pope Leo XIV since May 2025, exercised his right to vote as a U.S. citizen. His mail-in ballot was submitted in Chicago, where he resided. Pope Leo XIV, who is 71 years old, had undergone surgery for lung cancer and was preparing for an apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. His participation marks the first known instance of a sitting pope taking part in a U.S. election while in office.",
  "summary": "The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, has cast his mail-in ballot in the US midterm elections from Chicago. Read More: https://punchng.com/pope-votes-in-us-midterm-elections-vatican-confirms/",
  "key_points": [
    "Pope Leo XIV, first U.S.-born pontiff, voted in U.S. midterm elections",
    "Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, submitted mail-in ballot from Chicago",
    "Pope's participation marks first known instance of a sitting pope voting in U.S. election"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Pope Leo XIV voted in US midterm elections, says Vatican",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/pope-leo-xiv-voted-in-us-midterm-elections-says-vatican",
        "published": "2026-10-30T14:21:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}