Soon after being appointed as Pope, Pope Leo XIV of the Roman Catholic Church tried to change his registered address at a bank in Chicago to the Vatican. However, the customer service representative thought it was a prank call and hung up on him.
Leo XIV, whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost, is the first pope in history to be born in the United States, with his hometown being Chicago, Illinois.
According to World Journal, Leo XIV’s brother John Prevost mentioned this amusing incident during a CNN interview on the 7th. He said that two months after Leo XIV began his duties at the Vatican, he wanted to call the bank to update his mailing address. He provided his bank account number, Social Security number, and answered a series of anti-fraud security questions.
In the end, the customer service representative on the other end told him he must appear in person at a bank branch in order to complete the change.
John Prevost said that after they had been on the phone for a long time, he couldn’t help but interject: “Ma’am, I hope this information helps. The person you’re talking to in Rome is my brother.”
“He’s the Pope.” Prevost recalled saying to the representative at the time.
“She said, ‘Oh, really?’ and then hung up.”
Prevost did not disclose which bank it was.
At the time, Leo XIV introduced himself on the phone using his real name, “Robert,” rather than as the Pope, but he was concerned there might be complications, and so John volunteered, saying: “I’ll find the bank number, and we’ll call together.”
He said that in the end, a local clergy member came forward and helped Leo XIV resolve the bank issue.