Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the host of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, gave Pope Leo XIV a family tree and presented him with findings about his ancestors.
The professor and his wife had a private meeting with the Pope at the Vatican on Saturday, July 5, Gates said on his social media platforms.
“On Saturday, my wife, the historian Dr. Marial Iglesias Utset, and I were granted the profound honor of a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican to present him with a copy of his family tree,” wrote Gates, along with a photo of the three of them.
He continued, “She and I had worked with an outstanding team of researchers to publish it in The New York Times Sunday Magazine and were deeply grateful for the chance to walk His Holiness through the branches of his family tree, sharing stories of his ancestors back to his 12th great-grandparents who were born some 500 years ago.”
The experience was “one of the most meaningful and deeply moving moments of our lives,” said Gates.
On Finding Your Roots, Gates sits down with celebrities and does a deep dive into their family histories. In many episodes, celebrities are surprised to discover that they are related to other famous people, or that their backgrounds are much different than they originally thought.
Pope Leo XIV is not likely to be appearing on the show any time soon, but receiving a family tree from Gates is a meaningful experience nonetheless.
That didn’t stop people from saying they hoped to see a pope interview, however.
“Please tell me you’re doing an episode on the Pope?!? I know his regnal name is Leo, but in my heart he is Pope Bob from Chicago … and I bet his family tree is fascinating,” said one Facebook user.
And, of course, there were jokes.
“Let me guess, he’s a distant cousin to Bernie Sanders and Larry David. Somehow all your guests are related to them,” said another Facebook user. (On one notable episode of the show, Sanders and David learned they are genetically related.)
“This is wonderful. You have done so much for so many to introduce them to their ancestors. But this is very special. I know Pope Leo XIV found this very meaningful,” said another user on Facebook.
