Netizens reacted with awe and wonder after learning about a childhood story from the new pope’s brother that predicted Pope Leo’s papacy. John Prevost also shared other details about the pope’s upbringing.
During live news coverage centering around the election of the American pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, ABC News’ Alex Perez had a chance to speak with Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, in Chicago. While conversing, Prevost revealed a childhood story that indicated his brother would be the next pontiff. He also shared details from the last conversation he had with Pope Leo right before the Conclave.
“The interesting thing — I don’t know how many people will find it interesting,” Prevost began, “But when he was in first grade, a woman across the street that we used to play with the kids […] a woman down the street said he would be the first American Pope.” Perez, surprised, echoed, “First grade!?” to which Prevost confirmed, “Uh-huh!”
Still expressing shock, Perez questioned, “A random woman told him he would be the pope?” Prevost then clarified, “Well, they were neighbors, we knew them, but, yes! He knew at that age he was going to be a priest.”
What might have once been dismissed as a passing comment from a local woman now feels eerily pointed, casting Pope Leo’s early years in a new, almost fated light.
The story quickly made its way across social media platforms, where astonished viewers reacted with a mix of reverence and disbelief.
One netizen remarked, “Wow! He knew from first grade he would be a priest! He was definitely called to that life. And the neighbor’s prediction came true, impressive!”
Echoing the same amazement, another person stated, “Wow, he’s only in 1st grade and already being prophesied to become a pope. That’s mind-blowing 😮🤯,” while someone else observed, “Wow 😳😳😳, a prophecy on his papacy was dropped as a child.”
Others seemed just as captivated by the unnamed neighbor’s foresight. “need to know if that woman is still around to see this bc that’s wild to predict someone is going to be pope when they’re 7 [sic],” one person commented.
Another added, “WOW! That woman had the gift of prophecy!” Several netizens were touched by the idea that Pope Leo had understood his spiritual path so early on.
Some expressed admiration over how he recognized his calling at such a young age, with many describing the moment as “surreal” and “amazing.”
As the world continues to process the historic election of Pope Leo, his brother admitted he is still catching up. “To be honest, there hasn’t been a chance to think about it because it’s been constant phone calls, emails, messages, interviews,” he told Perez. “So I don’t think it’s really sunk in. It’s kind of surreal.”
Still, that surreal feeling is laced with immense pride. “This is an awesome thing in the sense that the first — not only pope but first American pope, pope from Chicago — and a relative,” marveled Prevost.
Initially, he didn’t believe it could happen. “To tell you the truth, no,” he admitted when asked if he’d expected Pope Leo’s election. “I kept hearing there will never be an American pope just because of politics, and the United States has too much world power now.”
Still, after hearing the new pontiff had made it into a shortlist of three people, his hope began to stir. “Then I thought, well, this could happen,” shared Prevost.
He also said the first glimmers of possibility came “maybe like a day or two after” Pope Francis died, when speculation around the likely frontrunners began.
He even spoke to his brother the Tuesday before the Conclave. “He just kept saying, ‘No, that’s not true. That’s not true.’ So he’s pushing it away, hoping that it would go away — and it didn’t go away,” Prevost divulged.
The pope’s brother also recalled the exact moment he found out about the news — he was reading a book when a text came through — “There was a white smoke.” He hurried to turn on the television and called his niece.
“We just sat there and watched it,” he recounted. “Then she said, ‘Look, the curtains are moving.’ I said, ‘Well, something’s coming up.'” When the announcement was made, his niece screamed.
“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, here we go.’ And then it has been nonstop — phones, everything else,” remarked Prevost. Reflecting on what kind of leader Pope Leo might be, Prevost described him as “a regular; a run of the mill person.” He attributed the pontiff’s grounded nature to his missionary training in South America.
“He will be looking out for the disenfranchised; he will be looking out for the poor; he will be looking out for those that don’t have a voice,” Prevost asserted. “So I think he will follow […] Saint Francis — pardon me, Pope Francis.”
While some might wonder how different Pope Leo will be from his predecessor, Prevost speculated there might not be much of a shift.
“I don’t know that you’ll see a big difference,” he noted, mentioning that the two had met years ago. According to Prevost, the late pope was in Argentina, while Pope Leo was in Peru at the time. “They kind of believed in the same issues,” highlighted Prevost.
As for their upbringing, Prevost shared that while Pope Leo spent most of his later youth away in religious institutions — from an Augustinian seminary in Holland, Michigan, to Villanova University — their early years in Chicago were filled with ordinary childhood memories.
“He wasn’t home a lot of [sic] summer vacations,” he recalled. “He was home growing up as a kid. I think we were just regular kids and didn’t really think about that kind of stuff.”
