People Stunned by Pope Leo XIV’s Surprising Hobbies, Revealed by His Brother

Following the passing of Pope Francis at the age of 88 on Easter Monday, the Vatican conclave gathered on Thursday to choose his successor. The decision made history.

The conclave elected 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost, an American-born Catholic leader from Chicago, Illinois, who will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. Born on September 14, 1955, he becomes the 267th pope and the first in the role to hail from the United States.

As Pope Leo XIV assumes one of the most significant spiritual roles in the world, many are curious about what he enjoys during moments of rest. The answer, surprisingly, is quite ordinary.

His brother, John Prevost, a retired Catholic school principal, spoke to NBC News about the newly appointed pontiff’s downtime activities—and they’re not what most would expect from a pope.

“First we do Wordle,” John shared. “That’s kind of a regular thing. Then we’ll play Words With Friends. It’s a way for him to disconnect a little from everything that’s going on.”

He continued with a chuckle: “We talked about what’s going on and I joked, ‘Do you have your red socks?’ That doesn't always go over well. Then I asked him if he watched the movie Conclave to prepare. Turns out he had just finished it!”

John explained that humor and casual conversation help lighten the weight of such an enormous responsibility. “It’s important to make him laugh, to take his mind off things—even if just for a bit.”

The internet quickly reacted with surprise and delight. Many were astonished by how down-to-earth the new pope is—and by the fact that he has a family at all.

One Reddit user admitted, “I know this sounds dumb, but I didn’t realize the Pope has relatives. I just always imagined him as this solo figure his whole life.”

Others commented with similar amazement: “He went to Villanova? He plays Wordle? He’s just a regular guy—wild, but awesome!” Another joked, “I bet the internal Slack at Wordle is losing it right now.”