“I was born in the United States… But my grandparents were all immigrants, French, Spanish… I was raised in a very Catholic family, both of my parents were very engaged in the parish,” he said.
“He maintains good humour and joy”
Prevost holds American and Peruvian citizenship, which will affect his career within the church. He gave his vows in 1981 and studied in Rome. After that, he was sent on a mission to Peru and stayed there for many years. In 2014, he was appointed bishop of Ciclayo in Peru.
According to The Guardian, Rev Fidel Purisaca Vigil, the communications director for Prevost’s old diocese in Chiclayo, Pope Leo XIV was a calm and grounded leader. He always sat down with fellow priests after morning prayer to eat breakfast.
Family vacation packages
“No matter how many problems he has, he maintains good humour and joy,” Rev Fidel Purisaca Vigil told the Associated Press.
Another person who spoke about Leo is his former roommate, Reverend John Lyndon. He lived with the Pope for a decade in Peru and told the BBC that he was an “outstanding” and “down-to-earth” person who loved singing and cooking.
“Sometimes he would make pizza, back in those days you couldn’t get good pizza in Peru,” Rev Lyndon told the BBC. “He was somebody you would sit down with and just talk and laugh,” he adds. “He had a very good singing voice as well.”
He continued, “We always had to block out a week for his birthday, which is in December, because every part of the parish wanted to celebrate his birthday,” he concluded, “It’s an amazing thing. I’m still absorbing it.”
Next
ADVERTISEMENT
