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NOLA.com: Pope Leo XIV has Roots in New Orleans’s 7th Ward

May 8, 2025

Less than two hours after his papacy was announced, HNOC family historian Jari C. Honora traced the new pope’s lineage back to the Crescent City.

Marriage Record
Marriage records from HNOC’s archives connect the new Pope to New Orleans. Courtesy of Jari Honora
NOLA.com / The Times Picyaune
“When Honora heard the last name ‘Prevost,’ he assumed Leo XIV’s roots could be Quebecois or even Acadien. But it turned out the family of Prevost’s mother, Mildred Martinez, was ‘entirely from New Orleans,’ Honora said. In less than an hour, Honora—who works for the Historic New Orleans Collection—was able to track the pope’s roots to the 7th Ward. ”

Hannah Levitan, NOLA.com | The Times Picayune

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