Pope Leo XIV gave the first official interview of his papacy to Elise Ann Allen for her new biography of him, León XIV: Ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,” which was published by Penguin Peru in Spanish Sept. 18.
It will be translated into French later this year, and will hit shelves in English, Portuguese and Italian at different junctures in 2026.
As part of this project, Pope Leo and Elise Ann Allen spoke in two separate conversations for a total of around three hours about his life, ministry, and leadership, as well as his vision for the future and his approach to issues of modern relevance, whether it be peace efforts in Ukraine and Gaza, or the role of women, the abuse crisis, or the inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics.
Pope Leo XIV was interviewed by Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen at his residence in the Vatican’s Palazzo Sant’Uffizio July 30, 2025. (Credit: Crux/John L. Allen Jr.)
I’ll start with the first question: What was it like to interview the pope?
At a very basic level, interviewing the pope as a journalist is always simultaneously extremely exciting but also a bit nerve-wracking. Since this was Leo’s first official interview of his papacy and given his rather media-shy personality up until now, there was definitely added pressure.
However, I have to admit that there was also an ease about it that I attribute to our past history, but also his personality.
For those who followed our coverage of the conclave, they know that John L. Allen Jr. and I had each had contact with Robert Prevost well before his election to the papacy. I first met Bishop Robert Prevost in 2018 during a reporting trip to Peru, when he was bishop of Chiclayo and president of the national safeguarding commission, and John had crossed paths with him in the early 2000s, when then-Father Prevost was living in Rome as Prior General of the Augustinians.
We’d met him at his office once after he arrived in Rome as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and invited him to dinner, an invitation he graciously accepted in October 2024. When he was elected pope, the chair he sat in on our terrace was basically enshrined as a relic-by-contact.
So it was that when I was approached by Penguin Peru in May to write a biographical book about the new American/Peruvian pontiff, asking for his participation was natural, especially given our shared background as Americans with an experience and knowledge of both Peru and the Vatican.
When I went in for the first of our two interviews, which took place July 10 at the papal summer residence, the Villa Barberini, in Castel Gandolfo, it was the first time I’d seen Pope Leo privately since his election (John and I had a quick handshake during his May 12 audience with the press corps, but it was quite fast).
Naturally the question at the forefront of my mind was: Will he be different? Has the election, has this new office, changed him?
I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but when he walked in dressed in white and extended his hand to me with a warm smile and asking how I was, I had to choke back my emotion as I shook his hand and realized that absolutely nothing had changed. He was the same man he’d always been.
The Prevost I’d had occasion to interact with prior to his election was genuine, deeply sincere, honest and transparent, but also very clear about his ideas and, despite his calm demeanor, he was not shy or easily intimidated or overwhelmed.
That was the exact same person I encountered while interviewing Pope Leo XIV: from the very first moment, after the understandable nerves calmed for both of us, we settled into a deep and revealing conversation about himself and the most poignant aspects of his life and ministry.
Speaking to Leo did not feel stiff, formal or preconceived in any way: on the contrary, he was completely at ease, very comfortable with himself and with me, and he was thoughtful, reflective, and genuine in giving an answer to every question. He wanted to give direct and honest answers, but also reflective ones, and that told me a lot about him not only as a person, but as a pastor; indeed the pastor, now, of the universal church.
In terms of what my biggest takeaways are from the two separate conversations we had, I can say there are a few key things that stood out:
First, Leo is extremely cautious, not because he is afraid, but because he is weighing every single aspect of an issue very carefully and chooses his words selectively while trying to walk a delicate tightrope of being honest while also not adding to the polarization in society, and in the church.
In this sense, Leo struck me as being someone acutely intelligent and aware of the challenges in front of him, and he has a very clear vision already for what he wants to do, but is also aware of the need to build bridges and will make fostering unity a priority.
This “What Pope Leo XIV Is Like” article will continue tomorrow.
What struck YOU the most about Pope Leo in reading this article?
THE SUM TOTAL OF ALL HUMAN KNOWLEDGE IS BUT A DROP IN THE BUCKET COMPARED WITH THE WISDOM OF GOD!
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