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CBS Mornings: What to Know about Pope Leo XIV’s Ancestry

May 27, 2025

It was recently revealed that new pope has Louisiana Creole ancestry. Jari Honora, a family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, made the discovery and joined “CBS Mornings Plus” to explain.

A screen capture of HNOC historian Jari Honora appearing on CBS Mornings.
Courtesy of CBS News
CBS Mornings logo 2021
“According to the birth certificate for the Holy Father’s maternal grandfather, he was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1864. Both of the grandfather’s parents were from New Orleans . . . . Right now, our research is leading us to believe that the Martinez line is actually from Prague. They were actually Czech and the name was [originally] ‘Martinec.’”

Jari Honora, HNOC Family Historian

Watch the Interview

It was recently revealed that new pope has Louisiana Creole ancestry. Jari Honora, a family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, made the discovery and joined “CBS Mornings Plus” to explain.

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Genealogy Resources

Our experts at the Williams Research Center are available to help you dive into your family history.

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