Pope Leo's shared ancestry with Justin Bieber and Madonna takes Internet by surprise: 'One holy lineup'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the first American to ever hold the papacy, has been revealed to share distant bloodlines with two of pop music’s most recognizable names - Madonna and Justin Bieber.

According to a genealogical investigation published by The New York Times, the 69-year-old pontiff, born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, is linked to the pop icons through a common ancestor who lived in Quebec centuries ago, reports Billboard.

New Pope shares surprising family ties with Madonna and Justin Bieber

That ancestor, Louis Boucher de Grandpre, hailed from the town of Trois-Rivieres in Canada and lived roughly six generations ago. Through him, Pope Leo XIV is connected not just to Bieber and Madonna, but also to a constellation of high-profile figures, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, actress Angelina Jolie, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac.

The revelation is especially rich with irony in Madonna’s case. The singer, whose relationship with the Catholic Church has been infamously strained, was condemned by the Vatican in the 1980s for her provocative “Like a Prayer” music video, which featured a make-out session with a Jesus figure.

Madonna, who was raised Catholic and has Italian heritage, has referenced her rocky relationship with the Church numerous times over the years. In 2022, she even joked on Twitter that she’d been excommunicated “three times,” and cheekily invited Pope Francis to “meet up one day to discuss some important matters.”

Justin Bieber, on the other hand, has long leaned into his spiritual side. Though not Catholic, the Canadian singer has spoken openly about his faith, aligning himself with Churchome, a Christian congregation based in the United States.

Pope Leo's link to Madonna, Justin Bieber and Hillary Clinton through shared ancestor surprises Internet

The Internet couldn't help but notice this really unlikely piece of news connecting the newly instated pope with some musical icons and political figures. Many took the chance to see the bright side of this revelation as the jokes flowed freely online.

One social media user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “With cousins like these, no wonder the Pope’s social calendar is packed.”

Another social media user had also thought that the news was 'wild' as they wrote, “Wait, Pope Leo is related to Madonna AND Bieber? That’s wild!”

One Facebook user joked about seeing the Pope release some music as they said, “When will he release the album?”

Another comment read, “So the Pope, the Queen of Pop, and the Prince of Pop all share a family tree? That’s one holy lineup!”

A commenter on Instagram thought Pope Leo's ancestry story would be a good one for a show episode as they wrote, “This should be an episode of Finding Your Roots!”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online