Pope Leo XIV's Brother Receives Surprise Call from Him Mid-Interview

John Prevost hadn't spoken to his brother since before the papal conclave. Now that his brother was the Pope, he never expected to hear from him so casually—let alone in the middle of an interview.

John Prevost, brother of newly appointed Pope Leo XIV, was in the middle of an interview with The Associated Press's Obed Lamy when a series of unexpected calls interrupted the conversation. Initially, he had ignored the calls, until he realized they might have been from the Pope himself.

Prevost had been sharing anecdotes about his brother's early life—his childhood, favorite food, and pastimes during the interview in his Chicago home. He revealed the Pope enjoys steak the most, and the brothers enjoyed playing Wordle.

As the interview continued, Prevost's phone kept ringing repeatedly. Then, when he heard a notification chime from his tablet, he paused and told the interviewer, "That might be the Pope." He then went to the basement to check his messages.

Sure enough, he missed a call from Pope Leo XIV, so he called him back. The journalist accompanying Prevost witnessed their first conversation since the new pontiff's election.

During the call, the Pope asked why his brother hadn't answered. By then, he'd been calling for over an hour. Prevost replied, "Well, first you need to know you're on the air right now," to which the Pope replied in silence. "This has been going on since 11:00 this morning," Prevost explained to his brother and told him they were currently being recorded.

Although the contents of their conversation were not disclosed, the journalist described it as a typical exchange between "normal siblings." Prevost congratulated his brother and spoke of plans to visit him in Rome. He also admitted that while they used to speak daily, he understands that his brother's new role will make it harder to maintain that routine.

Alongside John, Pope Leo XIV has an older brother named Louis. The three brothers—born to Mildred and Louis Prevost—were raised together in Chicago.