The pope is on the line: AP is there for pontiff's call to his brother in Chicago

The pope is on the line: Journalist is there for pontiff’s call to his brother in Chicago

NEW LENOX, Illinois — It was one of the most surreal phone calls I’ve experienced. A few hours earlier, John Prevost had watched the TV in stunned disbelief as his younger brother emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and was named Pope Leo XIV. Journalists quickly showed up at the older brother’s front door in suburban Chicago to learn everything they could about the new pontiff. I was one of them. I had arrived at Prevost’s home in Ne…

The pope is on the line: AP is there for pontiff's call to his brother in Chicago

An interview with a brother of Pope Leo XIV conducted by a journalist for The Associated Press was interrupted when the new pontiff called his sibling via FaceTime from Rome.

A recording of a private conversation between the new Pope, Leo XIV, and his older brother has been published online. A journalist who witnessed it said it was a "surreal" experience.

John Prevost did not hide his surprise when he saw his younger brother on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and learned that he had become the new Pope Leo XIV. Immediately after the conclave results were announced, the media focused on the priest's family, and journalists appeared outside Prevost's home in the suburbs of Chicago. During the interview, his brother called him. "Why aren't you answering the phone?" the pope said before John coul…

Undoubtedly an iconic phone call. The new Pope Leo XIV called his brother for the first time, who was doing an interview with AP News at the time.