American Pope: Leo XIV's Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City

An American pope—a notion the Catholic Church deemed impossible for two millennia. Yet on that extraordinary day in St. Peter's Square, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost ascended to become Leo XIV, stunning even seasoned Vatican correspondents.

Prevost's rise defies expectation. An unassuming Augustinian from Chicago's working-class South Side, he spent decades in Peru before a meteoric ascent through Church ranks. His election sparked global fervor—viral memes, pilgrims bearing deep dish pizza, the surreal collision of American pop culture and centuries of papal tradition.

But the full scope of his journey remained untold—until now.

NPR journalists Daniel Burke and Scott Detrow spent a year pursuing the intimate story behind the headlines. They tracked down childhood friends, family members, confidants, clergy, and Vatican insiders. They secured unprecedented access to archival documents, personal letters, and correspondence that illuminate Prevost's path.

*American Pope* traces a man across decades and identities: Robert, the quiet boy of faith in Kennedy-era America; Bob, the seminary student wrestling with spiritual calling; Padre Roberto, a steadying force in Peru's most desperate communities during the pandemic crisis; Father Bob, leading the Augustinian order through institutional turmoil; Cardinal Prevost, Pope Francis's trusted counsel; and finally, Leo—whose election will reshape the Church forever.

Enlightening, deeply human, and essential reading, *American Pope* reveals how one man's quiet conviction altered the course of the world's oldest institution.