On May 8, Robert Prevost became the first American to lead the Catholic church. Although this has surprised some, it appears that the man himself may have been confident.

Prior to the conclave, Robert, who chose the name Pope Leo XIV, talked with his brother over the phone about the likelihood that he would be elected.

John, the elder brother of Pope Leo, talked about the “shocking” occasion in a recent interview, reflecting on his feelings when the future pope was revealed.

John, a retired Catholic school principal who lives in the south suburban area of New Lenox, Illinois, said he learnt of the news at the same moment as everyone else and has hardly had time to even comprehend what has happened.

He mentioned that, for apparent reasons, his phone and iPad started to display a barrage of messages while he was on the phone and watching events on TV.

Speaking to the Daily Herald, he said, “It was a shocking moment. I was on the phone with my niece and we both couldn’t believe it. Then the phone, the iPad and my cellphone just went nuts.”

“And Rob — that’s we called him since he was little — knew he was going to be a priest from the time he could walk.”

“A neighbor once said he was going to be pope someday. How’s that for a prognostication?”

Remarkably, the day before the conclave began, Pope Leo even made a suggestion that he might be chosen, and the two even discussed names he could take.

But Pope Leo would later disregard some of his brother’s recommendations regarding his choice of name.

Reflecting on their conversation, John said, “What should my name be?”

“We started rattling off names just to rattle off names. I told him it shouldn’t be Leo because it will be the 13th. But he must’ve done some research to see it’s actually the 14th.”

Knowing that his brother will be extremely busy for the next few days, John stated that he hasn’t attempted to get in touch with him yet.