The Graphic Designer Pope: Five New Surprising Revelations About Leo

From building websites to playing Bartók, Pope Leo XIV is reimagining the papacy one design at a time.

Pope Leo helped build and design the Augustian Order’s website after he was elected their global leader in 2001. This is a screenshot of their website at the time.

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Pope Leo XIV isn’t just the spiritual leader of the world’s largest religion.

He’s also a design nerd.

Back in 2001, before most bishops knew what a domain name was, Leo (then Fr. Robert Prevost) learned the basics of web design and helped build the Augustinian order’s first website from scratch. (Check out the screenshot of his final product above.)

According to a remarkable new interview with his longtime friend and fellow Augustinian Father Alejandro Moral, about Leo’s plans for the rest of the summer, the pope’s creative instincts run deep — and they’re shaping his vision for the Church.

Here are five things we just learned about the world’s most design-savvy pope.

1. He Built the Website to Help Connect His Brother Priests

Yes, really.

“He knows well that without communication it is complicated for a complex organization to move forward,” Moral told Il Messaggero. “For him, communication is fundamental. When the Augustinians didn’t have a web page, it was he who wanted it— and he who created it, materially.”

This wasn’t just a cleric dabbling in HTML. It was a man blending theology and typography, structure, and spirit.

A pope who once coded a homepage is now sketching the future of Catholic communication — one pixel at a time.

2. A Tireless Worker with a Texting Addiction

Leo’s work ethic is relentless.

Moral shares, “By nature, he is inclined to be close to everyone, to take on burdens and responsibilities, he has always operated tirelessly.

“I remember that even when he was the Augustinian prior, he was the first to cross the chapel threshold, early in the morning, and at night in his room, the light stayed on until very late. I remember because we were neighbors.”

His dedication persists as pope.

Moral adds, “He replies to many messages on WhatsApp even at three in the morning, evidently when he reaches the end of his day, before going to bed. It’s his nature.”

Leo’s 3 a.m. WhatsApp replies show a leader always engaged, designing solutions round-the-clock.

(Fun Fact: Leo replied to my text congratulating him on his papal election a few weeks after I sent it at 1:30 AM Rome Time.)

It took a few weeks, but the iPhone enthusiast Pope Leo did reply to this text I sent him.

This is part of a new series offering the most in-depth account of Pope Leo’s upbringing and formation available anywhere.

Why? Because if Leo XIV and Donald Trump are locked in a moral contest for the future of the world, we need to understand the nearly 70 years Bob Prevost lived before becoming pope.

These essays take time and care—so they’re behind the paywall.

If you find value in my work and want to access this series and support it, subscribe now for as little as $6.67 per month.