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The Catholic Church has a new supreme pontiff—and he’s from the South Side of Chicago. These are words that no reporter alive today ever really expected to be writing. Until very recently, the prospect of an American assuming the throne of St. Peter seemed about as dim as the prospect of a Fox & Friends Weekend host becoming secretary of defense. And yet, here we are, with Pete Hegseth Signaling up a storm in the Pentagon and Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Dolton, Illinois, assuming the papacy. We live in unusual times.
So just how American is the new Pope Leo XIV? Given that he spent much of his pre-papal ministry in Peru, then spent his cardinalship in Italy, it might lead some to think that he is primarily a “man of the world,” and that he has long since transcended his South Side origins. On the other hand, he’s been known to go by “Bob,” which is perhaps the most American nickname; he went to Villanova in the Rollie Massimino era; he presumably has opinions on deep dish vs. tavern-style thin-crust pizza; and he will almost certainly be the first pope to know what the Super Bowl Shuffle is. If all that weren’t enough, I’ve learned he also has an older brother named Lou, who loves Donald Trump, posts online about it all the time, and lives in Florida. That settles it: Pope Leo XIV is as American as the Original Rainbow Cone!
A few minutes after Prevost was named pontiff Thursday afternoon, I went online to see if he had a Facebook page. He does, indeed, although it hasn’t been updated since December 2021. (I requested him as a friend, and I promise to keep you all posted if and when he gets back to me.) Prevost has two older brothers, both of whom also appear to have Facebook pages. (The three Prevosts are mutual friends and share other mutual friends; the two non-pope Prevosts have posted things on the platform indicating that the man now known as Leo XIV is their brother. I have not otherwise independently confirmed the pages.)
One brother, John Prevost, spent his career as a school principal on the South Side, and has spent part of the day fielding congratulations from his flabbergasted former students. John doesn’t post much (but did give some sweet interviews on Thursday).
Their other brother, Lou, is a different story. Lou Prevost’s Facebook page is an open book, and the story it tells is a very American one:
Lou studied at DeVry in Chicago, lived in Mississippi for a time, and at some point moved to Port Charlotte, Florida, which sits between Sarasota and Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast. In July 2023, he posted that he “woke up this morning on my birthday and found out my brother was one of 21 announced as new Cardinals by Pope Francis today. Congratulations Rob!”
Like many Floridians, Lou is a fan of Donald Trump who does not think very highly of the Democratic Party. “Obama and the Democrats. They suck. They’re one very small step away from being full blown communists,” reads one post. “Why aren’t these anti-American democrat communists arrested and tried for subversion and even treason against the U.S.A.?” begins another.
At times, he has been fond of “owning the libs” via meme warfare. He worries that liberals around him are suffering from TDS (“Trump derangement syndrome,” for those unfamiliar with Lou lingo). He disagrees with keying the cars of your political opponents, which, fair—not much grace in that.
It’s not all politics for the pope’s eldest brother, though. He recently enjoyed a hair-metal tribute concert at a taco festival in Punta Gorda. (“Maiden Cane concert at Taco festival. … Forgot how good these guys are.”) Like all good Chicagoans, he sometimes takes trips to Door County, Wisconsin. And he enjoys the sonic stylings of Florida’s foremost Jimmy Buffett tribute band, the Caribbean Chillers. Who wouldn’t?
I’ve never bothered to wonder about whether any previous popes had brothers. If they did, they probably were not embarrassing ones. But the embarrassing political brother is a distinctly American tradition, and I’m delighted to know that the first American-born pope plans to honor that tradition. Jimmy Carter had Billy. Bill Clinton had Roger. Pope Leo XIV has Lou, and I can only hope that Leo XIV finds some way to make him a cardinal or at least to invite him to move in with him at the Vatican as the Official Papal Roommate or something. Until that time, I’m going to make a standing offer: Lou, if you ever find yourself in Tampa, look me up. I’ll buy you a beef at the Portillo’s up on Fowler, we can spend the day reminiscing about Refrigerator Perry, and I’ll keep my mouth shut when you start crowing about Trump and DOGE. Just tell your brother to accept my friend request, and we’ll call it even.
