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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Russ Bynum

The rules behind Pope Leo remaining a US citizen now he’s a foreign head of state

The election of Pope Leo XIV presents a unique legal and diplomatic situation, as the first American-born pontiff is also a dual citizen of the United States and Peru.

Born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, the newly elected pope has held Peruvian citizenship for the past decade, alongside his American citizenship, due to his extensive missionary work and role as a bishop in the South American country.

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