The Roman Catholic Church has announced its next pope – Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, whose chosen name is Pope Leo XIV. He makes history as the first American to be elected pope.
Pope Leo XIV was born on September 14, 1955 to Louis Prevost and Mildred Martinez in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a World War II Navy veteran and school administrator and his mother was a former librarian at Von Stuben and Mendel Catholic High Schools. The Pope’s recently uncovered Louisiana Creole ancestry through his mother’s family has been most interesting to researchers and has led to more than one unexpected discovery.
A Surprising Hollywood Connection
Diving deeper into his Creole roots, Geni curators documenting the tree discovered a surprising connection to one of Hollywood’s stars – actress Shailene Woodley. According to Geni’s World Family Tree, Pope Leo XIV and Shailene Woodley are second cousins thrice removed!
Their shared ancestors are Jacques Martinez and Marie Rosa Ramos, a Creole couple who were both born in New Orleans, Louisiana during the 1820s. They were Pope Leo XIV’s great grandparents and Woodley’s fourth great grandparents.
The family can be found in the 1870 U.S. census in New Orleans with their children, including Michel Martinez (Woodley’s third great grandfather) and Joseph Norval Martinez (Pope Leo XIV’s maternal grandfather). In the record, Jacques’s occupation is tailor and the family is identified as “mulatto.”
Image: 1870 U.S. census / MyHeritage (click to enlarge)
In 1880, Michel married Louise Roussel and together they had several children, including Aline Louise Martinez, Woodley’s second great grandmother. At the age of 17, Aline married Joseph Matthews Fauria. Their family continued to live in New Orleans before moving to Ontario, Canada where Woodley’s great grandfather, Vernon Louis Fauria, was born. Vernon eventually moved to California, where at the age of 18, he married Marguerite Lois Davis.
Woodley was born on November 15, 1991 in San Bernardino, California. She first gained prominence as the star of the teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She has since gone on to star in a variety of roles from the Divergent film series to the HBO drama Big Little Lies, for which she earned an Emmy award nomination.
Pope Leo XIV’s Maternal Grandparents
Pope Leo XIV’s maternal grandfather, Joseph Nerval Martinez, was born on January 8, 1864 in Haiti. In September 17, 1887, he married Louise Baquie, who was born in New Orleans.
Image: MyHeritage
A 1900 U.S. census record revealed that the family was listed as “black.” At the time, Joseph was working as a cigar maker. The family was living in New Orlean’s 7th Ward, which is home to a large Creole community.
Image: 1900 US census record / MyHeritage (click to enlarge)
The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Pope Leo XIV’s mother, Mildred, was born on December 30, 1911. Later census records identified the family’s race as “white” as seen in the 1920 U.S. census record with the family still living in Chicago. The record shows his mother’s siblings (Irma, Marguerite, Lydia, Louise, and Hilda) were born in Louisiana and she in Illinois.
Image: 1920 U.S. census record / MyHeritage (click to enlarge)
A Religious Family
Pope Leo XIV was not the first in his family to answer the call to serve. His two maternal aunts, Louise Eugenie Martinez (Sister Mary Sulpice, RSM) and Hilda Anne Martinez (Sister Mary Amarita, BVM), served as nuns in the Catholic Church. Sister Mary Sulpice was a member of the Sisters of Mercy for 77 years and died in 1999. According to the obituary of Sister Mary Amarita, she entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Charity, B.V.M. on September 8, 1926. She died on April 22, 1945 after she was stricken with a serious illness the previous December.
Image: The Telegraph-Herald, April 25, 1945 / OldNews.com
Pope Leo XIV’s election is historic not just because he is the first American pope, but also because of his rich and diverse heritage. From his Creole roots to his surprising Hollywood connection, Pope Leo XIV’s family background is a reminder of how interconnected we all are.
Big thank you to the collaborative efforts of the Geni community and curators who helped research, connect, and document Pope Leo XIV’s family tree on Geni!
Explore Pope Leo XIV’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re related.
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Source: Geni.com