(RNS) — As a Chicago-born missionary to Peru, Robert Francis Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — was arguably the least American of the American Cardinals. But despite his close ties to Peru, where he led an Augustinian seminary and, later, the Diocese of Chiclayo, his Creole roots are evidence of Leo’s distinctly American ties.
Specifically, historical records indicate that Leo’s maternal ancestors were Creoles of color. The 1900 Federal Census lists Leo’s maternal grandfather, Joseph Martinez, as being born in “Hayti,” living in New Orleans’ Ward 7, and as being Black. The census also records Louise Martinez (nee Baquié), Leo’s maternal grandmother, as being Black, along with two of Leo’s aunts (Leo’s mother was born later, in 1912).
Other census records hint at the complexity of Creole identity — a cultural designator referencing a diverse group of people with ties to colonial Louisiana — and of Black identity in America. Earlier records reference Leo’s maternal ancestors as “mulatto,” a term used at the time for people of mixed Black and white ancestry, and by the time the family moved to Chicago in 1912, they were consistently listed as white. In the 1920 Federal Census, for instance, both Joseph and Louise Martinez were cha …
