Civic commitment is not lost, not even upon assuming the Chair of Saint Peter. This Friday, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Leo XIV exercised his right to vote as a U.S. citizen in the U.S. midterm elections.

The news, first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, revealed that the pontiff remains registered to vote in the city of Chicago and has used his voting card through the mail-in voting system.

From the Vatican, the official statement emphasized that the Holy Father considers participation in democratic processes as “a right and a duty of all citizens,” describing his actions as “a consolidated practice of civic participation” that he has maintained throughout his life.

An indelible mark on Peru

The Holy See’s statement also shed light on a particular detail: the US postal vote was the same mechanism that allowed him to participate in the elections of his native country during his long years of mission in the Andean nation.

However, the legal reality in Peru is different. Since postal voting for local residents did not exist, Father Robert—as he was affectionately known by the Peruvian faithful—would have had to complete an official procedure to transfer his electoral address from the coastal city of Chiclayo to Italy or the Vatican, a formal step that the priest chose not to take.

Behind that administrative decision lies a heartfelt reason. Those familiar with pastoral work know that the missionaries of the Order of Saint Augustine, like Pope Leo XIV, develop an unbreakable spiritual and identity-based bond with the land they evangelize.

Unlike diplomats or international officials, who often request repatriation at the end of their careers, the missionaries’ story demonstrates total dedication: many choose to rest forever in the small local cemeteries of the country that welcomed them. Maintaining their residence in Chiclayo is, at its core, the silent reflection of a lifelong commitment that neither distance nor the highest responsibilities within the Church have been able to erase.