According to His Brother, Pope Leo Loves John Grisham, Plays Wordle Daily, and Eats Peeps on Halloween

In a remarkable NBC Chicago interview, Pope Leo’s brother reveals a pontiff who calls home daily and longs to drive his car again.

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Yesterday, NBC Chicago marked the 100th day of Pope Leo’s pontificate with an extraordinary interview with his brother, John Prevost.

What emerged wasn’t Vatican pomp or policy, but something far more intimate: a portrait of the pope as a son, a brother, and a man who still plays Wordle, loves John Grisham thrillers, misses driving his car, and prays for the world each day.

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In an NBC Chicago interview marking the 100th day of Pope Leo’s pontificate, his brother John Prevost revealed a portrait of the pope that was as ordinary as it was extraordinary.

“He seems to be enjoying it…like [he] is a natural,” Prevost said, even as Leo shoulders the enormous burdens of leadership.

“What people don’t know is that he’s taking this very seriously. He’s praying for the world.”

But the interview went far beyond solemnity, highlighting the deeply human rhythms of the first American pope.

Every morning, Pope Leo plays Wordle and Words with Friends with John before calling him on the phone to catch up on family jokes and world events.

“He reminds us to be careful in the media,” John laughed.

The pope also keeps his lighter side intact: he’s a fan of John Grisham thrillers, his favorite candy is Peeps (John plans to bring him some for Halloween), and his go-to pizza topping is pepperoni.

He admits he misses driving, once calling it “totally relaxing.”

John even noted with a smile that his brother has been “better behaved” since becoming pope.

Other details were equally striking. Pope Leo was, John confirmed, “very close friends” with Pope Francis.

He promised that while he doesn’t yet know when he’ll visit Chicago, if John precedes him in death, Leo has vowed to be there for his brother’s funeral — “even if they have to keep the body on ice for a while!”

The interview also underscored the outsized demand now placed on the pontiff. John’s mailbox is “inundated” with requests — from business proposals to fix the Vatican finances to autographed baseballs — and parishioners from a shuttered Chicago church even arrived with a two-page plea to reopen their parish.

John makes sure every prayer, petition, and plea is passed along to his brother.

The ripple effects of Leo’s election are already visible back home. Fr. Ray Flores of St. Jude’s parish in New Lenox, where Leo grew up, said attendance has surged since his election.

Taken together, the interview offered a rare, intimate glimpse into a man now leading 1.4 billion Catholics.

He is at once a priest and a brother, a pontiff and a son — someone who prays for the world each morning, then unwinds with Wordle.