Pope Leo XIV’s brother has lifted the lid on what the brand new pontiff will get as much as in his downtime — and it usually includes taking part in video games like Phrases With Mates or Wordle along with his friends.
On Thursday, white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney — signaling that the Faculty of Cardinals had chosen a successor to Pope Francis.
After Pope Leo XIV — born Robert Francis Prevost — greeted crowds at St. Peter’s Sq. within the Vatican, his brother John Prevost provided a glimpse into the brand new Catholic chief’s easy pleasures.
“I haven’t had a moment to think about it. But it’s totally unreal, totally surreal, and it’s a tremendous, tremendous thing to take in, but it’s something to be very proud of,” Prevost advised NBC Chicago.
He revealed that he had spoken to the brand new pontiff proper earlier than the conclave, and stated the pair usually play Wordle and Phrases with Mates collectively.
“It’s something to keep his mind off of life in the real world,” he stated. “And then we talk about what’s going on.”
Prevost stated that he had requested if his brother had watched the Hollywood blockbuster “Conclave” earlier than the beginning of the papal summit to “know how to behave.”
“I said, ‘Well, are you ready for this?’” Prevost stated, revealing that his brother had “just finished” watching the movie.
“So it’s that kind of stuff, because I wanted to take his mind off of it, laugh about something, because this is now an awesome responsibility,” he added.
The Ralph Fiennes-led film was launched simply months earlier than Pope Francis died in April at age 88.
About 80% of cardinals who had participated on this 12 months’s vote have been appointed by Pope Francis, which means a majority had by no means skilled a conclave earlier than.
The 2024 movie – directed by Edward Berger and based mostly on a 2016 Robert Harris novel – was completely researched, and a few cardinals who beforehand skilled a conclave described the film as a particularly correct portrayal of the actual ritual.
The Cardinals have been compelled to give up their digital gadgets earlier than they have been sequestered within the Sistine Chapel for 2 days of voting.
Elsewhere, Prevost revealed that he had a “slight feeling” his brother would develop into the primary American pope — although Leo himself was uncertain.
“He didn’t think so,” Prevost stated. “I kind of did, because what I was reading and what I was hearing that there were three outstanding candidates that were in first, second and third place. The Cardinal from the Philippines, the Secretary of State and him.”
After listening to that his brother had good odds of being the following pope, Prevost’s optimism grew, although he remained a tad skeptical.
“I don’t know how true it is, but one of the priests at Providence over there in New Lenox said to me, ‘the odds in Las Vegas are 18-to-1 that it’s going to your brother,’” Prevost stated.
“I didn’t believe it, and Rob didn’t believe it. I should say, Pope Leo didn’t believe it at all, because there’s not going to be an American pope was the attitude.”
The brand new pontiff’s Chicago roots sparked a pleasant rivalry Thursday, as town’s two main baseball groups — the Cubs and the White Sox — playfully competed over which facet might declare him as a fan.
After the official social media account for the Cubs claimed that Pope Leo was a fan, his brother was compelled to set the report straight.
“They had it wrong. He’s Sox,” he advised the outlet. “The radio announced Cubs, and that’s not true.”
The White Sox shortly embraced the information, writing on X, “Well, would you look at that… Congratulations to Chicago’s own Pope Leo XIV.”
“Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields,” the staff stated in a follow-up assertion. “Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican.”
“A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark,” they added.
