(Clockwise from left) Pope Leo has famous distant relatives including Madonna, Justin Bieber and Angelina Jolie. Photos: AFP, Madonna/Instagram, TNS, Handout
American pop queen Madonna is reportedly related to Pope Leo XIV, who was elected head of the Catholic Church in May.
According to American historian Henry Louis Gates Jr, the host of US documentary series Finding Your Roots (2012 to present), the 66-year-old American singer and 69-year-old American pontiff have been found to be “ninth cousins, various times removed”, reported The New York Times.
The team behind the show had traced the religious leader’s roots through a distant maternal relative born in the 1590s.
Pope Leo, whose birth name is Robert Prevost, is also ninth cousins with various celebrities, including Canadian singer Justin Bieber and American actress Angelina Jolie. He is also related to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In response to the news, Madonna posted a photograph of herself and her 94-year-old father Silvio Ciccone on Instagram Stories on June 16, saying: “Silvio! We’re related to the Pope!”
The singer was born and raised in a Catholic family and attended Catholic schools.
Throughout her four-decade career, Madonna has made headlines for heavy references to Catholicism, most notably in her controversial Like A Prayer (1989) music video. It included scenes of her dancing in a church in front of burning crosses and with a wax saint, which led to sharp criticism from the Vatican then. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
