The pope's maternal grandparents are described as Black or a person of mixed white and Black ancestry in historical documents dug up by New Orleans-based genealogist Jari Honora.

In prior interviews, Pope Leo XIV said he was open to a vocation to the priesthood because neighborhood priests were always in and out of his childhood, as his mother often fed them. "Now we know why her cooking was so good— both her mother and father were from New Orleans.