Pope's brother asked him to watch 'Conclave' before election

Pope Francis XIV when he appeared at the Vatican window shortly after being elected on May 8, 2025..

Cardinals on Thursday voted to elect a new pope to replace Pope Francis who died on April 21, 2025 after battling illness.

The new Pope, Robert Prevost, took the name Pope Leo XIV.

He became the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church.

In his first address after the election, the Chicago-born pontiff touched on "peace" and "unity".

The Conclave embarked on the first day of voting on Wednesday with white smoke emerging Thursday evening signalling that a new pope had been elected.

Leo's brother, John Prevost, who resides in Illinois, was full of joy and pride for Pope Leo XIV, saying they have regular conversations.

In a video seen by the Star, John said they play Wordle often to take his mind off things.

Wordle is an online word game in which players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word each day.

“First, we do Wordle because this is a regular thing, and then we do words with friends, it is something to keep his mind off life in the real world, and then we talk about what is going on, and I say, well, do you have your red socks? That doesn’t go over well all the time,” John said.

He further revealed that he asked him if he had watched the movie ‘Conclave’ so that he knows how to behave.

Conclave is a 2024 political thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris.

The movie follows Cardinal Lomeli as he oversees a secretive papal election after the Pope's death.

Amid intense political maneuovering and hidden agendas, a shocking secret about the late Pope threatens to upend the Church.

As tensions rise, Lomeli must choose between tradition and truth.

“And then that kind of stuff, and I said, 'Are you ready for this?' I said, 'Did you watch the movie Conclave so you know how to behave?" And he had just finished watching the movie ‘Conclave’, so he knew how to behave.”

John said he talked to Pope Leo the last few minutes before the cardinals gathered together for the Conclave.

This, he said, was a move to take his mind off of it and laugh about something out of what the process they were about to start.

Pope Leo XIV's brother said that he has an awesome and huge responsibility and wished him well as he starts his role to serve the world.

Prevost's elevation to the papacy marks a significant moment in the Church's history, reflecting his deep spiritual formation, extensive pastoral experience, and commitment to the Augustinian charism of unity and communion.

Pope Leo XIV is a prominent American Augustinian priest and prelate of the Catholic Church, recognised for his deep commitment to pastoral care, ecclesial leadership and global missionary work.

He was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois.

Born to Louis Marius Prevost, a French-Italian catechist, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent, Prevost was raised in a family deeply involved in the Church.

His early experiences as an altar boy and his family's hospitality to priests influenced his vocational discernment. He is known for his humility, spiritual depth, and dedication to the pastoral mission of the Church.