Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pontiff of the Catholic Church, has cast his vote in the US midterm elections through a mail-in ballot submitted in Chicago, the Vatican said on Friday.

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The move is believed to be the first known instance of a sitting pope voting in a political election.

The head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics believes in "the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes", the Vatican said in a statement.

The Chicago-born pontiff "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so", the statement said.

"The Holy See Press Office confirms that, in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago," it added.

Leo's decision comes amid a public rift with US President Donald Trump earlier this year, which attracted international attention. The two have repeatedly clashed over the pope's criticism of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and the war on Iran.

Trump had described the pontiff as "weak" on crime and "terrible" on foreign policy. Leo, in response, said he was "not afraid" of the US President.

The crucial US midterm elections are scheduled for November 3.

Before becoming pope, Robert Francis Prevost spent nearly two decades as a missionary and later as a bishop in Peru. He holds both US and Peruvian citizenship.

The Vatican also confirmed that Leo had exercised his voting rights during his years in Peru, whenever he was eligible to do so.