Robert Prevost, the first American to occupy the post of leader of the Catholic Church, was selected to be the next pope on May 8 Although some individuals found this revelation shocking, it seems that Prevost might have been somewhat sure about his choice.
Before the conclave, Robert, who selected the name Pope Leo XIV, spoke with his brother about the prospect of his being elected.
Living in the southern suburban region of New Lenox, Illinois, retired Catholic school administrator John claimed he has hardly had time to digest what has happened. He noted that he learned the news simultaneously with everyone else.
He said his phone and iPad started getting a spike of messages for obvious reasons while he was on the phone observing events happen on TV.
He said in an interview with the Daily Herald, “It was a startling moment. On the phone with my niece, we both found it unbelievable. Then my iPad, phone, and cellphones just started acting nuts.
“And Rob—what we have nicknamed him since he was small—always knew he wanted to be a priest from the moment he could walk.
“A neighbor once said he would eventually be pope. For a prediction, how is that?
Amazingly, Pope Leo said he might be selected just one day before the conclave started and even spoke with his brother about possible names he might choose. Pope Leo finally chose, nonetheless, to ignore some of his brother’s counsel on his name choice. When John thought back on their talk, he remembered, “He asked me, ‘What should my name be?’
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“We started simply listing names for fun, tossing ideas back and forth without any real direction. I made a comment that we shouldn’t go with Leo since it would be the 13th choice on our list, but he must have done some investigation because he pointed out that it actually falls on the 14th. It was interesting to see how a casual discussion could turn into a little debate about dates and meanings.”
John also remarked that he hasn’t tried to get in touch with his brother yet; knowing he will be somewhat busy for the next several days. He claimed he is still in shock and has not had time to go through his feelings, particularly given the quite emotional and taxing nature of the issue.
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John hopes to see his brother when the time is right, even though he feels managing these emotions alone right now is difficult.
“I haven’t had time to cry yet,” he added, his voice quivering somewhat under the weight of his feelings. “Once I’m alone myself and can sort through all of stuff, I’ll really hit it. Everything seems to be haze right now. Given everything is happening so quickly, I have not had time to react thus far. He stopped, inhaled deeply, then fought to control the flow of emotions rising within him.