From Chicago to the Vatican: Pope Leo XIV’s Brothers and Classmate Dish on His Holiness’ Early Days

As beloved Pope Leo XIV takes the reins of the Roman Catholic Church — whose faithful number 1.4 billion — The National ENQUIRER can reveal the untold story of the Chicago-born pontiff’s life in America.

Formerly known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, His Holiness has already made history by being elected as the 267th leader of the world’s Catholics following the fatal stroke of 88-year-old Pope Francis on April 21 because he’s the first-ever Bishop of Rome to come from the United States.

Though Pope Leo, 69, now offers blessings from the ornate balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, he was once a baseball-loving kid from the Windy City who dreamed of religious life.

Early on, the Prevost family moved to the humble suburb of Dolton, Ill. But their Sundays included worshipping at St. Mary of the Assumption on Chicago’s gritty South Side and cheering on the city’s White Sox. But little Bob’s other hobbies were much different from those of his peers.

John Prevost, 71, says of his former altar boy brother, “Some people play school, some people play army, he played priest, and we had to go to Mass.”

“The women down the street said he would be the first American pope.”

However, John also reveals teenage Bob loved to get “behind the wheel.”

Louis Prevost, 74, the oldest of Pope Leo’s two siblings, says his devout bro “always wanted to play priest.”

He jokes, “I told my brother he was weird … Nobody else in our ’hood played priest, but Robert did. And our parents always supported his wishes in that area. Mom let him use our ironing board to put a sheet over [as a pretend altar], and crackers we had for communion. My brother enjoyed this.”

Louis adds in the second grade a nun even told young Bob, “You will be pope some day.”

Father Bill Lego, who was Leo’s classmate at both St. Augustine Seminary High School and Villanova University, recalls the future pontiff showed “leadership ability,” thoughtfulness — and a “sense of humor.”

Pope Leo spent a large chunk of his church career ministering in Peru, where he acquired a second citizenship. But in 1999, Leo came back home to lead Chicago’s Augustinian order for over a decade. He was even caught on camera during the 2005 World Series as the Sox took on the Houston Astros in Game 1. Pope Leo saw the Sox win on their way to a four-game sweep.

The Holy Father admits he’s “quite the amateur tennis player,” and John reveals his brother is also a fan of the games Wordle and Words With Friends.

“It’s something to keep his mind off life in the real world,” John explains.

By all accounts, Pope Leo continues to root for the Sox, and Father Arthur Purcaro — now the assistant vice president of mission and ministry at Villanova — says his old pal still “loves deep-dish pizza.”

Purcaro adds, “I like the idea, the fact that when someone becomes pope, they change their name. He’s had a new birth. He’s called to be more than he was.” But he also feels, “Bob will always be Bob.”