The brother of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, who has made history as the first American to become pontiff, expressed his “overwhelming” reaction to the announcement on Thursday.

John Prevost told FOX 32 that “there are no words” to describe how proud he was of his baby brother. 

“It’s an incredible pride, but it’s also an enormous responsibility, having the first American Pope coming from Chicago – and being related to him. It’s daunting,” Prevost shared.

Prevost said his brother’s path to pope began at a young age, having gone straight into seminary after eighth grade.

Pope Leo XIV, originally named Robert Prevost, was considered a likely candidate to succeed Pope Francis following his passing late last month. Prevost mentioned he had a “feeling” his brother was a contender after hearing a description of him on the radio.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025.  (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

“They were interviewing someone on the radio, and she said there are two likely candidates: One of the Cardinals from the Philippines, and one is a Cardinal, as a matter of fact, from the Chicago area. He was a missionary in Peru and now he’s a Cardinal in Rome,” Prevost said. 

But the inkling that big things were in store for the now pope even went back decades earlier. According to Prevost, the boys’ childhood neighbors predicted the younger Prevost would be the “first American pope.”

“The interesting thing is way back when he was in kindergarten or first grade, there was a parent, a mom, across the street — one across the street that way and another down the street,” John Prevost, told WGN on Thursday. “Both of them said he would be the first American Pope, at that age.”

Nuns react to white smoke from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a new pope has been elected, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (Marko Djurica/REUTERS)

Prevost predicts that his brother will likely be “a second Pope Francis.” 

“I think he has a strong inclination to help the poor, the disenfranchised, the people that don’t have a voice because he spent so much time in Peru with the people who were impoverished,” Prevost said. “So, I think she sees that need and I think he will work for that. The church has to be universal and help everyone but some people need a lot more help … I don’t think he can do anything, but I think immigration is big time on his mind. He thinks the country’s headed in the wrong direction there.” 

Prevost said his brother will have to work hard to reunite the Catholic Church, given that “so many people have gone away” in recent years.