Madonna Celebrates Discovery That She Is A Distant Cousin To Pope Leo XIV

Madonna Celebrates Discovery That She Is A Distant Cousin To Pope Leo XIV

A genealogical study by noted genealogist Henry Louis Gates Jr. featured in a recent New York Times article has revealed that Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, is distantly related to a variety of celebrities, including Madonna, who is his distant cousin. Other notable relations on the pontiff’s family tree include Hillary Clinton, Justin…

A genealogical study by noted genealogist Henry Louis Gates Jr. featured in a recent New York Times article has revealed that Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, is distantly related to a variety of celebrities, including Madonna, who is his distant cousin. Other notable relations on the pontiff’s family tree include Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, and Jack Kerouac. Gates traced much of Pope Leo’s family roots to his Creole ancestry in New Orleans, along with a mix of French, Italian, and Spanish heritage. A link to a common French-Canadian ancestor, Louis Boucher de Grandpre, connects Pope Leo to a lineage that also includes Angelina Jolie and former Canadian Prime Ministers Pierre and Justin Trudeau. Madonna marked the exciting revelation by posting an Instagram story with her father, Silvio, who just celebrated his 94th birthday on June 3. Madge excitedly captioned her post, “Silvio! We’re related to the Pope! Strike A Pose!” (Consequence of Sound)

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BJTS 6-19-25

BJTS 6-19-25

George Cotton, UAPB Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement, announced that the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will host the second annual Juneteenth in the Bluff: Arts & Culture Festival on Friday, June 20th  5p.m. to 11p.m. in Pine Bluff’s downtown Delta Rhythm and Bayous Cultural District at 3rd & Main Streets. The festival, sponsored…

BJTS 6-12-25

BJTS 6-12-25

Reverend Willie Wade and Diablo Coleman invite the public to the Hot Springs Juneteenth Celebration taking place this Saturday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at 112 Orange Street in Hot Springs. The celebration will include a historical reflection on the origins of Juneteenth and a keynote address from Reverend Dr. Chris Jones. This year’s…

BJTS 6-5-25

BJTS 6-5-25

Fitzs Hill with Arkansas Baptist College (ABC) a private Baptist-affiliated, historically Black college in Little Rock. Founded in 1884 as the Minister’s Institute, ABC was initially funded by the Colored Baptists of the State of Arkansas. It is the only historically Black Baptist college west of the Mississippi River. Summer and fall semesters are coming…

BJT 5-23-25

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Maria Hollowell, president of the Little Rock NAACP, along with event chair Carla Williams and Michael Nellum of Phi Beta Sigma, inviting the community to the NAACP End of School Year Bash. The event takes place next Saturday, May 31, from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM at Watson Elementary School. Families can enjoy free food,…

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