PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla — The new, and first American, Pope Leo XIV has a special connection to Southwest Florida. His older brother, Louis Prevost, has been living in Port Charlotte for about four years and couldn't be more proud of his sibling's elevation to the papacy.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on how Pope Leo XIV's brother reacted to his brother becoming pontiff:
Prevost, a Navy veteran, watched with joy and amazement as his younger brother, former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was announced as the new leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday.
"Shock and awe - we heard them read the name so we knew it was coming and then to see him - it all hit home - and became real and it was like oh that's Rob oh my god yay Rob," Prevost said.
The brothers grew up in Chicago, where Louis says many people recognized something special in his younger brother from an early age.
"We used to tease him about being Pope - because he always had that holy way about him - and the neighbors on the street we grew up with a lot of them used to say you're going to grow up to be Pope one day Robert - our brother? Pope? nah not going to happen," Prevost said.
Despite the jokes, Louis revealed that he and his brother had discussed the possibility before the conclave began.
"We talked a little bit about it and I said you know what happens if you win? if they vote for you? are you going to accept it? [He said] I will accept it - it's God's will it's in his hands," Prevost said.
While the world celebrates a new pontiff, Louis acknowledges the bittersweet reality that his close relationship with his brother will likely change. The brothers currently speak by phone 2-3 times weekly.
"That's the hardest part - all day I've been like - I wonder if we'll actually be able to see him again and be with him - and shake his hand and hug him - yeah I'm the pope's brother but it's hard to get in to see the pope," Prevost said.
Despite the personal challenges, Louis believes his brother will excel in his new role leading the Catholic Church.
"He'll do a really good job of being pope and all the things that entails - just because he's a man of the people - and he's been with the people all around the world in his worldly travels," Prevost said.
Born in Chicago in 1955, Leo XIV joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1977. He attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1977, and he got a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982.
Leo XIV is also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.
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