The election of Pope Leo XIV, who is the first U.S. pope and has Creole roots, is raising more awareness about the complexity of the Creole identity.

The pope's maternal grandparents are described as Black or a person of mixed white and Black ancestry in historical documents dug up by New Orleans-based genealogist Jari Honora.

This is like a reward from God,” a local parishioner said, as researchers unearthed more details about the lives of Leo XIV’s ancestors in the heart of the city’s Afro-Caribbean culture.