From Bob to Leo — The Making of the American Pope

Over the next few weeks, I’m publishing a series of essays that will offer the most detailed account available anywhere of Pope Leo’s upbringing and formation.

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Pope Leo is the most powerful religious leader in the world today — and as an American, he now stands as the clearest global foil to President Trump.

Over the next few weeks, I’m publishing a series of essays that will offer the most detailed account available anywhere of Pope Leo’s upbringing and formation.

Why? Because if Leo XIV is going to be the world’s most credible counterweight to Trump during this defining moment in American and global history, then we deserve to know the nearly 70 years Bob Prevost lived before becoming the 267th leader of the Catholic Church.

These essays will take a lot of time and care to report and write—so they’ll be available to paid subscribers only.

You can become one today for as little as $8 a month.

So let’s get started. To understand the pope, you need to understand the man who came before. Before he became the first American pope, Leo XIV —known to his friends as “Father Bob”— lived a remarkable life.

Here are five things to know about it.

1. Raised in Chicago with a Prophetic Calling

Leo XIV grew up in a devout Catholic family on Chicago’s South Side. From a young age, he aspired to the priesthood and others noticed.

In fact, when he was just a first grader, a neighbor across the street confidently predicted “you will be the first American pope,” a prophecy that stuck with him.

His family’s roots are multicultural (his maternal grandparents were Black Creoles from New Orleans, but faith was their core. Young Bob served as an altar boy and even “played Mass” with his brothers, seemingly destined for religious life.

A school photo of 13-year-old Robert Prevost in 1969.

2. He Nearly Left the Priesthood – Until His Father Intervened

Despite his early calling, Prevost once doubted his path. As a teenager in seminary, he told his father he might leave to “get married” and have “a normal life.”

His father’s response changed everything.

Louis Prevost acknowledged the beauty of marital intimacy but gently reminded his son of “the intimacy between a priest and the love of God,” easing Bob’s conscience.

That heartfelt conversation convinced Prevost to stay the course, cementing his commitment to the priesthood.

Father Robert Robert Prevost gives his mother a blessing after his priestly ordination in June 1982.

3. He Stood Up to Armed Soldiers in Peru