Can Pope Leo remain a US citizen now that he's a foreign head of state?

Pope Leo XIV's election as the first US-born leader of the Catholic Church elevated him to the extremely rare, and legally thorny, position of being an American citizen who now is also a foreign head of state.

- By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

Born in Chicago as Robert Prevost in 1955, the new pope for the past decade has held dual citizenship in the US and Peru, where he spent time as a missionary and bishop.

As pope, Leo serves as leader of both the Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church, and Vatican City, an independent state.

Can the pope remain a US citizen while leading a foreign government? Here are things to know about Leo's citizenship.

Is the Vatican considered a sovereign nation?

In addition to being the spiritual leader for what the church says is roughly 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, Leo is also the head of what's recognized as the world's smallest nation.

Vatican City covers just 0.17 square miles (0.44 square kilometers) and has a population of a few hundred people. It became an independent state in 1929 under a treaty between Italy and the Holy See.

Could Leo be stripped of his US citizenship?

Americans working for foreign governments aren’t automatically at risk of forfeiting their US citizenship.