NEW LENOX, Ill. — It remains one of the most exceptional phone calls I’ve ever witnessed. Just hours before, John Prevost had watched on television in amazement as his younger sibling stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, being announced to the world as Pope Leo XIV. Almost instantly, reporters swarmed the home of Prevost in suburban Chicago, eager to glean insights about the new pope. I was among them.
Arriving at Prevost’s New Lenox residence early that evening, after a three-hour drive from my base in Indianapolis, I maneuvered past other media personnel stationed outside and knocked on the door. Prevost kindly welcomed me inside.
In the middle of our conversation, a sound emanated from the basement. Prevost quickly made his way downstairs to a tablet, with me trailing behind, camera ready.
“That could be the pope,” he remarked.
Realizing he had missed a few calls from his brother, he returned the call, placing the device on speaker mode so the audio was audible. The pope answered.
I captured the defining moment—the new pontiff’s voice conversing with his elder brother, questioning why his calls had gone unanswered. I was trembling with excitement.
“You should know you’re live right now,” Prevost replied. “This is the first time I heard that the thing was ringing.”
Their dialogue lasted only a few moments. They discussed recent events and potential plans for Prevost to visit Rome later that week. It was the familiar banter of two siblings.
For the remainder of our interview, Prevost shared anecdotes about the new pope and their family. We reminisced about their upbringing in Chicago, noting the pope’s love for steak. Prevost mentioned how they use FaceTime almost daily and enjoy playing The New York Times’ game, Wordle. Their last conversation, he told me, occurred on Tuesday before the conclave began.
The call replayed repeatedly in my thoughts—a profoundly human moment shared with one of the world’s most sacred figures. The pope reached out to his brother, and the brother reciprocated.