Pope Leo XIV relies on family for everyday help

John Joseph Prevost, the older brother of Pope Leo XIV, described a close family relationship in a recent interview with Mediaset, a private Italian broadcaster. Prevost shared memories of a childhood spent in Chicago and ongoing interactions with his brother, Robert Francis, now the head of the Catholic Church.

He explained that despite the Pope’s busy schedule, Prevost regularly calls him, even for help with everyday tasks.

Recently, he asked Leo XIV for assistance setting up a new computer and received step-by-step instructions. The Pope also helped his brother with his tax return last year. The brothers spent part of last July together at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, where they swam, read, and visited local monasteries. They also reminisced about childhood summers spent with their family at a cottage on Lake Michigan.

One memorable occasion involved a swarm of bees attacking them and their dog after the dog disturbed a beehive. Prevost noted their mother, Mildred Agnes Prevost, who passed away in 1990, would have been proud of her son. He believes she would have quietly expressed her pride and included him in her prayers. Both Prevost and his older brother, Louis Martín, followed in their father’s footsteps in education.

John Joseph became a school principal, and Louis Martín worked in IT after serving in the Navy.