(RNS) — Just hours after Pope Leo XIV was announced from the loggia, his two brothers began making headlines. John Prevost, the middle brother, took an agonizingly long time to answer Leo’s first papal call, as documented by The Associated Press. Then the eldest brother, Louis Prevost, appeared on Piers Morgan’s show to discuss his incendiary Facebook posts.
And on Wednesday (May 21), Louis Prevost again got social media chattering after Margo Martin, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special assistant and communications adviser, posted a photo of Louis Prevost and his wife meeting with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
In the days after Leo’s election, his eldest brother’s past posts supporting Trump got media attention, not only for Louis Prevost’s allegiance to MAGA, but also for content that included slurs and conspiracy theories. And, while neither the pope’s nor his older brother’s social media posts are now publicly accessible, Leo’s social media revealed that in his last posts before becoming pope he reposted sharp criticisms of the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
This glimpse into a potentially divided family has stirred speculation and sympathy from the wider watching world.
“ I do think God gave us a little bit of a gift in just showing us this normal family on the global stage,” said Kathryn Jean Lopez, religion editor at the National Review. “ I don’t care what your politics are. The two brothers humanize (Leo) in ways that you could not script.”
While Catholic experts told RNS that Louis …