Jari Honora named Louisianan of the Year for discovering Pope Leo XIV’s Black Creole roots

January 8, 2026 | Black Catholic Messenger

The 34-year-old historian and genealogist used his expertise on Louisiana Creoles to quickly uncover the ancestry of the first American pontiff.

A trio of Georges Media Group newspapers have named genealogist and historian Jari Honora the 2025 Louisianan of the Year, for his work to uncover the Black Creole ancestry of Pope Leo XIV earlier this year, just hours after his election as the first American pontiff.

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