Pope Leo is a lifelong American citizen. But as Pope, he is also the leader of Vatican City, an internationally recognized sovereign nation. Can an American citizen lead a foreign nation? And can a Pope retain foreign citizenship?
The answers are yes and yes — but it rarely happens.
United States law allows dual citizenship. According to the State Department, a dual citizen who became a foreign head of state would not necessarily lose American citizenship if he or she wanted to keep it.
And the Holy See lets a Pope retain other citizenships. Pope Francis retained his Argentine nationality and even renewed his Argentine passport in 2017. His two predecessors also retained their native citizenship.
The State Department explains on its website that it will “actively review” cases of foreign heads of state wishing to retain American citizenship, while warning that such cases “raise complex questions of international law,” including ones related to immunity from American legal jurisdiction.
Foreign leaders who want to retain American nationality can notify the State Department of their preference, the department says, while a person who wants to give up citizenship must inform a U.S. embassy or consulate ”and follow the required steps.”
In rare cases, U.S. citizens have served as foreign heads of state. Somalia’s former president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, was born in Somalia but lived in the United States and became a naturalized American citizen before his 2017 election. He renounced his American citizenship two years later, amid charges of dual loyalties.
Vatican City, where the Pope resides, is governed by the Holy See, which is considered a sovereign government. It is recognized by the United Nations, although it chooses to hold permanent observer status there rather than full member status, “due primarily to the desire of the Holy See to maintain absolute neutrality in specific political problems,” the Holy See’s mission to the U.N. says on its website.
Pope Leo is also a citizen of Peru, which allows dual citizenship, though it is unclear whether it has laws applicable to a citizen becoming a foreign head of state.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Pope Leo’s circumstances, and the Vatican has not publicly indicated his plans.
Michael Crowley covers the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The Times. He has reported from nearly three dozen countries and often travels with the secretary of state.
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