Genealogist researches new pope’s Black, Creole roots
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on May 10, 2025
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(OSV News) — A New Orleans genealogist has found that the first U.S.-born pope has Black and Creole roots — and the discovery illuminates the nation’s rich multiracial history, the experience of Black Catholics and the importance of the church’s sacramental records.
Jari Honora, a certified genealogist and a family historian for the Historic New Orleans Collection museum, told OSV News that Pope Leo XIV’s former surname, Prevost, immediately piqued his interest.
Yet for all his extensive research experience, even . . .
