Cardinal Robert Prevost made history when he became the first American pope on Thursday, May 8
Pope Leo XIV’s brother is sharing an insight into how the newly-elected pontiff prepared for the papal conclave.
In a new interview with NBC News, John Prevost opened up about his last conversation with his brother, Cardinal Robert Prevost, before he was elected as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, May 8.
Speaking about how the new pope, 69, prepped ahead of the voting sessions in the Sistine Chapel, John revealed that his brother watched the Oscar-winning movie, Conclave, and played a popular online game.
“First we do Wordle ‘cause this is a regular thing, then we do Words with Friends,” John said of the games they played. “It’s something to keep his mind off life in the real world.”
He added, “And then we talk about what’s going on and I said, ‘Well, do you have your red socks?’ That doesn’t go over well all the time. And then just that kind of stuff.”
“And I said, ‘Well are you ready for this?’ I said, ‘Did you watch the movie Conclave so you know how to behave?” the proud sibling recalled of their conversation. “And he had just finished watching the movie Conclave.”
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John added, “So he knew how to behave. So it’s that kind of stuff because I wanted to take his mind off of it. You know, laugh about something because this is now an awesome responsibility.”
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and John Lithgow, 2024’s Conclave tells a fictional version of the real-life process of deciding on a new pope. Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes), dean of the College of Cardinals, who organizes the eligible cardinals to vote for the next pope in the Sistine Chapel.
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According to the movie’s synopsis, “he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.”
Meanwhile, the real conclave, which began on May 7, took place over two days, with the pope making history in becoming the first American to take on the role.
Delivering his first address as pope just before 7:30 p.m. local time, Pope Leo spoke in Italian and Spanish to people in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. He also paid tribute to his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who died on April 21.
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“We still keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome,” he said. “The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world that morning on Easter Sunday.”
The conclave features multiple rounds of voting by College of Cardinals members under the age of 80.
Marking the most electors to ever vote in a conclave, 133 cardinals took part in the 2025 conclave, which ended on Thursday, May 8, shortly after 6 p.m. local time when white smoke was seen billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
