A mere two days after taking in a moment of history the Catholic Church and Chicago will never forget, area native Pope Leo XIV will be visited by his brothers in Rome - including New Lenox resident John Prevost.
Pope Leo was elected following the 2025 papal conclave on Thursday, with the Dolton native becoming the first-ever American-born pope in the church's history.
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WATCH HEREThe abrupt trip to Rome is the fifth that Prevost has made in his life, with the pope's brother mentioning he has previously traveled to the Italian capital twice with Pope Leo.
As far as being able to inform his brother in advance that he was coming, Prevost told NBC Chicago he was able to speak with the pope briefly via phone.
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SIGN UP "I told him we were coming. He said, 'Oh, okay,'" Prevost said.
Prevost added that their parents would be "happy and ecstatic" over Thursday's news, while also speaking on the "awesome responsibility" Pope Leo XIV has as the first person from the United States to lead the Catholic Church.
"That’s the thing. because being, look at the first that we are here. The first from the United States, first from Chicago, he’s kind of young. A tremendous responsibility, the world will be watching every step,” Prevost said.
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As far as what Prevost will be up to on his visit to see his brother, much remains up in the air.
“We’re waiting to see, we’re supposed to have lunch, we’re supposed to go somewhere. We get to travel with the Pope to some special place and we’ll just figure it out. Because we’re only here until Tuesday," Prevost said.
Prevost said he does not have plans to stay for Pope Leo's installation.
