Fact Check: Was Pope Leo XIV a major donor to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign?

WASHINGTON, DC: A viral social media post has drawn attention by claiming that Pope Leo XIV donated heavily to Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign. The post further alleges that he financially supported Planned Parenthood, LGBT advocacy organizations, down-ballot Democratic candidates, and other progressive causes, sparking widespread online discussion. Let's fact-check the claim.

Claim: Pope Leo XIV was a major donor to Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign

According to an X user post shared by @JoshHall2024, Pope Leo XIV donated to Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign.

The post began, “Campaign finance records reveal that WOKE POPE Leo was a MAJOR DONOR to Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign, has financially supported Planned Parenthood, LGBT activist organizations, down-ballot Democrat candidates for office and OTHER WOKE CAUSES.”

It added, “Before he became Pope, Leo also reportedly was a frequent attendee of anti-Trump marches and protests and routinely attacked President Trump in highly personal terms during his church services as a priest.”

The post further continued, “He is also a registered Democrat who was a vocal supporter of DISGRACED former President Barack Obama in their shared hometown of Chicago.”

The post concluded with commentary on Pope Francis, stating, “Many conservatives thought Pope Francis was bad... But his liberal activism paled in comparison to this POLITICALLY MOTIVATED, WOKE POPE!” The post reportedly garnered over 120,000 views and was widely shared, with several users commenting on it.

Fact Check: False, Pope Leo XIV did not donate to Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign

The claim that Pope Leo XIV donated to Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign is false. The post does not provide any official source or credible report to support it.

It also included a community note stating that Pope Leo XIV has no recorded donations to Kamala Harris’s campaign or Planned Parenthood in federal records and has publicly opposed abortion and public funding for it.

"Pope Leo XIV has no recorded donations to Kamala Harris's campaign or Planned Parenthood in federal records and has publicly denounced abortion and public funding for it. Illinois does not register voters by party, so he is not a registered Democrat."

It also noted that Illinois does not register voters by party, so he cannot be identified as a registered Democrat. Searches across social media and news platforms using related keywords found no evidence supporting this viral claim.

In reality, Kamala Harris received significant financial support from a range of high-profile donors, especially from the technology sector and major Democratic-aligned organizations.

For example, the non-profit Future Forward USA Action contributed about $138.5 million to her campaign, while Majority Forward donated around $113.2 million. However, there is no evidence that Pope Leo XIV was among her donors. Therefore, the claim is false.