The phrase "Like a Prayer" has taken on a whole new significance for Madonna, as a recent discovery has revealed a surprising family connection to the Pope. In a collaborative article between The New York Times,

Madonna and the new Pope are actually cousins. And “The Material Girl” isn’t the only celebrity who is related to Pope Leo XIV. According to professor and historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who published in the New York Times, Madonna and Pope Leo are ninth cousins, various times removed.