As of 2025, there has been only one American pope in the history of the Catholic Church. This pope is Pope Leo XIV, who is recognized as the first pope from the United States

. Prior to him, no pope had been American-born. The vast majority of popes historically have come from Italy, with 217 out of 267 popes being Italian

. Pope Francis, who served from 2013 until his death in 2025, was the first pope from Latin America (Argentina), but not from the United States

. In summary:

• Number of American popes: 1 (Pope Leo XIV)
• Number of Italian popes: 217
• Number of Latin American popes: 1 (Pope Francis from Argentina)

Therefore, only one American pope has ever existed.