@comprehensive.update: After His Father’s D*ath, Pope Leo Used His Inheritance to Help Build a Church in Peru A new book is sharing surprising details about the early life of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. American Pope: Leo XIV’s Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City was written by NPR journalists Daniel Burke and Scott Detrow. It came out earlier this month. After Leo’s mother d*ed of cancer in 1990, he brought his father, Louis Prevost, to Peru for extended visits. The seminarians grew close to the man they called “Luigi.” According to the book, his picture still hangs in the formation house chapel. After Louis d*ed in November 1997, Leo donated his inheritance to pay for the concrete foundation of a church in Peru. Parishioners had long wanted a permanent place of worship. They had been meeting in makeshift sanctuaries made of thatched leaves and sticks. The book says Leo helped with paperwork and equipment. But he left major tasks to the community, so parishioners would feel the church belonged to them. Other details include how he flew home again and again as his mother was ding. He stayed with her night and day before she ded at 77. He then led her funeral Mass. The book also says he once thought about having a wife and children. As a child, he imagined becoming a truck driver. Before the conclave, he reportedly told a friend, “I’m sleeping well at night,” believing the cardinals would not pick an American. Which detail about Pope Leo surprised you most? #PopeLeo #americanpope #peru #book #vatican

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Friday 30 October 2026 07:32:21 GMT