Who is Pope Leo XIV | Part I: From Chicago’s South Side to Augustinian Priest

No one expected a pope from the U.S. In this first-ever “Inside the Vatican” Deep Dive series, those who know him best reveal who Pope Leo XIV—“the American pope”—really is.

Across three episodes, we trace his vocation from Chicago’s South Side through his formative years as an Augustinian friar in the Midwest; training as a canon lawyer in Rome; early ministry in Peru as canon lawyer, priest and formator of future friars and diocesan priests; leadership of the Augustinian Order worldwide; a return to Peru as bishop; and, finally, to the Vatican—first as cardinal and now as pope.

In this first episode, host Colleen Dulle takes listeners from the electrifying moment of his announcement as Pope Leo XIV to a discovery uncovered by a genealogist in New Orleans: just two generations ago, census records listed his family as “Black” or “mulatto,” revealing deep Louisiana roots and a history of enslavement.

But we consider far more than his family tree. We hear about his childhood, seminary years shaped by Vatican II and insights from his brothers and friends in the Augustinian Order that reveal the deep-listening, community-focused approach that defined the ministry of the man then known as Robert Prevost.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

- Jari C. Honora, genealogist and family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection

- Dianne Bergant, C.S.A., Professor Emerita of Old Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, who taught Pope Leo.

- John Merkelis, O.S.A., Augustinian priest and lifelong friend of Pope Leo

- Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A., Augustinian priest, friend and missionary who worked alongside him in Trujillo, Peru

And don’t forget to come back for the next two episodes in this series.

Read: "Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost," by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107

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