- The brother of the new pope, John Prevost, gave an interview after his brother was selected
- Robert Prevost, 69, is the new pope, succeeding Pope Francis
- Before election, his older brother said they played Wordle, and he watched Conclave
New Pope Leo XIV, real name Robert Prevost, watched Conclave before he was chosen as pope. At least, according to his older brother John Prevost, 70, he did. On 8 May, he became the newly elected pope and was chosen to be the head of the Catholic Church.
The 69-year-old, from Chicago, is the first American pope in history. Social media reactions were mixed over the new development, but the Americans are elated.
In an interview, his brother spilled all of the tea on what he did to prepare should he be chosen, and the other things may surprise you.
Reports from a few days ago said that those in the conclave were watching the movie of the same name to help decide who would be the next pope and help them behave accordingly.
Many conclave members were chosen by Pope Francis and had not experienced a conclave before this one.
Read more: Conclave Movie Being Used To Help Select New Pope
While they did not specify how the film was being used, one cleric told Politico that “some have watched it in the cinema”.
But back to the new pope. See what his brother said here.
What did his brother say about the new pope?
In an interview with NBC, Prevost reflected on his brother’s actions before being chosen as the new pope.
On the conversation he had with his brother before the conclave, he said, “First we do Wordle because this is a regular thing, ok? Then we do Words With Friends. It’s something to keep his mind off life in the real world,” he began.
He continued and said that he and his brother spoke about what was going on.
“I said, ‘Well, do you have your red socks’? That doesn’t go over well all the time. And just that kind of stuff,” he told the news outlet.
Now, moving on to the juicy stuff.
Prevost said he asked his brother if he was “ready” for the role and asked him if he watched the movie Conclave so he knew “how to behave”.
Surprisingly, the 69-year-old had just finished watching the Ralph Fiennes film. Prevost said this helped him know how he should conduct himself.
“So it’s that kind of stuff because I wanted to take his mind off of it. You know, you laugh about something because this is now an awesome responsibility,” Prevost concluded.
What does John Prevost think about his brother being pope?
Prevost saw on TV the white smoke pouring out of the Sistine Chapel and the announcement that his brother was the pope. In an interview with Associated Press, he said he and his niece watched it play out on TV.
“She started screaming because it was her uncle, and I was in the moment of disbelief that this cannot be possible because it’s too far from what we thought would happen,” he told the news outlet.
He described the position for his brother as an “honor”, but added, “But I think it’s quite a responsibility and I think it’s going to lead to bigger and better things, but I think people are going to watch him very closely to see what he’s doing.”
Prevost gave an insight into his brother’s views and said he cares for the poor. He said he thinks his brother will be a “second Pope Francis”.
“He’s not going to be real far left and he’s not going to be real far right,” he clarified. “Kind of right down the middle.”
