ROME — The Vatican says a new documentary about the early life of Pope Leo XIV in his native country, the United States, is in production.
Robert Francis Prevost, who is the first U.S. citizen to lead the Roman Catholic Church, is originally from Chicago. The title of the documentary is simply “Leo from Chicago,” the Vatican announced.
A two-minute trailer has also been released. When the full film will be shown remains unclear.
In the documentary, the pope’s two brothers Louis and John have their say, recounting personal memories and their childhood together in the small town of Dolton, Illinois. The film also features longtime companions of the current pope.
For the documentary, editors from Vatican media visited his former places of religious activity in the U.S. Secular places that Father Bob frequently visited back then also feature in the film.
In the trailer, for example, a pizza chef from Chicago explains that his pizzeria created a special pizza after Prevost’s election as head of the Catholic Church on May 8: the “Poperoni pizza.”
The stadium of the hometown baseball team, the Chicago White Sox, also features in the film.
According to the Vatican, “Leo from Chicago” follows the documentary “León de Perú” (“Leo of Peru”), which was released in June and focused on his years in Peru. He worked there as a missionary and headed the diocese of Chiclayo from 2015 to early 2023.
The new documentary will be available to watch on the Vatican’s media channels after its release.
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