NEED TO KNOW
- Pope Leo XIV is now the head of the Roman Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis
- One of his two brothers, John Prevost, spoke with Good Morning America about what he plans to call his brother now
- The new pope celebrated his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, May 9
Pope Leo XIV is now the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but when it comes to his brother, the new pope is still the regular Robert Prevost.
One of his two brothers, John Prevost, spoke with Good Morning America after it was announced that Pope Leo, 69, would become the first American pope and answered whether he would still refer to his brother as “Rob.”
“You are absolutely correct,” Prevost told co-host George Stephanopoulos. “Because I never called him father either. ‘This is my brother, the father.’ No, never did that. So I think it will still continue Rob.”
Prevost said he will be traveling to Rome in the next couple of days and is looking forward to telling his brother that he is proud of him.
He noted that his brother had been interested in the church from a young age, telling ABC News that “from the time when he was 5 or 6 years old, he knew this was his fate.”
“Not that he would be a pope, that he would be a priest,” said Prevost. “He knew that from a very young age and his idea never faltered all through grammar school, high school, college.”
He also recalled his brother playing priest as a child, taking their mom’s ironing board and covering it with a tablecloth.
When asked what he thinks Pope Leo’s “biggest leap” will be regarding policies, Prevost said he does not know but believes his brother will first “listen to what’s being said before he makes that kind of a leap.”
“Maybe for the first few days, weeks, months, first year, [he will] look and see what needs to be done and where it needs to be done and who he needs to talk to,” said Prevost.
During his first address as Pope Leo XIV, the new pope took time to pay his respects to the late Pope Francis, who died on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88.
“We still keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome. The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world that morning on Easter Sunday,” he said.
“Allow me to follow up on that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all and evil will not prevail,” Pope Leo XIV continued. The same sentiments were reiterated when he celebrated his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel.
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The new pope said he wants his election to contribute in the Catholic Church providing light to drive out “dark nights of this world,” noting that he aims to be a “faithful administrator,” per the BBC.
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