The New York Times Magazine: Finding the pope’s roots
Tracing 500 years of the family tree of the first American pontiff.
The New York Times Magazine
June 15, 2025

On the cover this week: Henry Louis Gates Jr. and a team of genealogists go back 500 years to trace the family tree of Pope Leo XIV, revealing his connections to noblemen, freedom fighters, slaveholders and enslaved people.

Illustration by Alex Merto

FEATURES

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Illustration by Alex Merto

We Traced Pope Leo XIV’s Ancestry Back 500 Years. Here’s What We Found.

Noblemen, enslaved people, freedom fighters, slaveowners: what the complex family tree of the first American pontiff reveals.

By Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Photograph of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican.

Tiziana Fabi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Five Key Discoveries in the Family Tree of Pope Leo XIV

We went back 500 years and found his connection to some fascinating people.

By Henry Louis Gates Jr.

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Elinor Carucci for The New York Times

He Has Months Left. His Son Hopes an A.I. Version of Him Can Live On.

After Peter Listro was diagnosed with blood cancer, his family decided to make a virtual avatar they can talk to after his death.

By Susan Dominus

An evening demonstration in a large European public square ringed by trees and buildings. In the crowd, men and women hold the flags of the European Union (a circle of yellow stars on a blue background) and Romania (a tricolor of vertical blue, yellow and red stripes).

Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi for The New York Times

Why the MAGA Right Became Obsessed With the Romanian Election

It started with a Russian influence campaign and a canceled vote. Then the American right showed up.

By Nicholas Casey

A portrait of Bernthal standing against an indistinct background

Malike Sidibe for The New York Times

How a D.C. Prep-School Kid Became Hollywood’s Most Dependable Bruiser

Jon Bernthal’s strange journey taught him to bring a surprising softness to his tough-guy characters.

By Irina Aleksander

MORE IN THE MAGAZINE

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The Interview

Misty Copeland Changed Ballet. Now She’s Ready to Move On.

The American Ballet Theater’s first Black female principal dancer on everything she’s fought for and the decision to end her historic career with the company.

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42 MIN LISTEN

A man prepares to pull out a Pride flag in front of a group of four professionally dressed people.

Illustration by Tomi Um

The Ethicist

I Had an Affair With a Politician Who Denies Being Gay. Do I Keep His Secret?

Is what happened between us my story to tell?

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

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Illustration by Maisie Cowell

Letter of Recommendation

I Tried to Avoid Administrative Work. Writing a Novel Was a Poor Way to Do So.

Nothing more quickly catapulted me into real life than my project to escape it.

By Klara Feenstra

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Photo illustration by Vanessa Saba

Screenland

The Strange Rise of the Before-and-After Tragedy Meme

Online, people pair ordinary bits of video with news of the life-changing shocks that followed. It can be unnerving — or surprisingly moving.

By Joshua Hunt

An overhead image of three bowls of pasta each topped with an egg and herbs.

Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.

The Spaghetti ‘Pretty Much Every Kid Loves’

Spaghetti Napolitan, a Japanese favorite that’s stained and seasoned with ketchup, grows up — just a little.

By Eric Kim

An illustration of John Hodgman in judge’s robes, holding a gavel.

Illustration by Louise Zergaeng Pomeroy

Judge John Hodgman

Is There a Wrong Way to Make Paella?

A ruling on how to properly prepare the iconic Spanish dish.

By John Hodgman

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