He looks like any other toddler – bright eyes, soft curls and an angelic grin.
But the child in this photograph would grow into a man whose influence would one day stretch across continents.
The black and white image, featured in a recent documentary, captures him long before the world knew his name – just a baby with plump cheeks and a gaze full of curiosity.
Few could have imagined that this little boy, Robert Prevost, would one day become Pope Leo XIV.
Years later, another photograph captures him as a teenager, standing among friends with a shy, close-lipped smile.
A third shows him on the brink of adulthood, dressed smartly in a suit and tie. His expression is calm, self possessed, and unmistakably mature – the look of a young man stepping into the world with quiet confidence.
Back then, he was simply a polite, bookish Midwestern boy whom classmates remember as a ‘quiet, kind, gentle, wicked-smart kid.’
And looking at these early snapshots today, it’s almost impossible to reconcile the wide-eyed child in these grainy frames with the man who would go on to play such a prominent role on the global stage.
The black and white image, taken from a recent documentary, shows a little boy named Robert Prevost who would one day become Pope Leo XIV
With his bright, wide eyes and and angelic grin, the toddler looks like any other child captured in the family photo album
Looking at these early snapshots today, it’s almost impossible to reconcile the wide-eyed child in these grainy frames with the man now stepping onto the global stage. Pictured: Pope Leo XIV delivers his blessing after leading the weekly general audience at St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican on November 19, 2025
Born in the tight-knit suburb of Dolton, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV grew up in what his siblings describe as a ‘typical Catholic upbringing’ in a modest one-bed, one-bath family home crowded with children, prayer and routine.
In the new Vatican News documentary Leo from Chicago, Prevost’s older brothers Louis and John describe their upbringing in intimate detail the public has never seen before.
Louis recalled that the future Pope’s crib was squeezed into the dining room because ‘the little house we lived in… was basically a one bedroom, one bath… a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and then a basement and an unfinished upstairs.’
As a newborn, he was remembered as remarkably content – ‘God’s gift to moms… maybe from birth he was special.’
Faith framed the household from morning to night. His brother John remembered how, each evening after dinner, ‘my mom and dad went into the living room and prayed the rosary daily.’
Louis added that their mother was devoted to early-morning Mass: ‘She’d go at 6am… by the time she got back, we were up getting ready for school.’
Outside of prayer and parish life, the children’s world was entirely ordinary and all-American.
Several years later, another photo captures him as a teenager, standing among friends with a shy, close-lipped smile
A third photograph captures him on the brink of adulthood, dressed smartly in a suit and tie
In this undated photo, Pope Leo XIV (then Robert Prevost) (left) smiles while his mother (back to the camera) cuts a birthday cake in what his brother (right) guessed was the pope’s 9th birthday, at the family home in the Chicago suburb of Dolton
‘We were American kids, and we ate American,’ Louis said – recalling hamburgers, Thursday-night steak and fish on Fridays.
They blocked off the street to play baseball, cycled through the neighbourhood and walked each day to their Catholic school.
Even then, Louis said, there were flashes of the calm authority his brother would later become known for.
He recounted an incident at Beaubien Woods when a gang of older boys threatened to steal their bikes: ‘Rob just kind of went, ‘Well, wait, let me talk to them.’
Within minutes, he added, the tension vanished – ‘somehow he calmed them down and made them friendly… they became almost our friends.’
Both brothers remembered early, unmistakable signs of a calling.
According to John, his younger brother used to convert the ironing board in the basement into a makeshift altar: ‘He would have the tablecloth ready to go… we would have regular Mass… he knew all the prayers, in Latin or in English.’
Louis recalled that even the nuns saw something in him. ‘One told him, ‘Robert Francis, you could be pope one day.’ We all teased him for it because he didn’t want to hear it.’
According to John, his younger brother used to convert the ironing board in the basement into a makeshift altar. Pictured: Robert Prevost, left, and his brothers John and Louis
Born in the tight-knit suburb of Dolton, Illinois, Pope Leo XIV grew up in what his siblings describe as a ‘typical Catholic upbringing’ in a modest one-bed, one-bath family home crowded with children, prayer and routine. Pictured: A young Robert Prevost (later Pope Leo XIV) alongside his mother, Virginia Mary Sibilla
Prevost completed a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Villanova University in 1977 before moving into theological studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where he earned a Master of Divinity as part of his preparation for priesthood.Pictured: A rare, undated photo of a young Robert Francis Prevost
And years later, when he was ordained in Rome, John said the moment felt surreal: ‘He’s being ordained by a bishop… and to have some of our family and friends there, it was just a great experience.’
After his childhood in Illinois and early signs of a vocation, Prevost entered the Order of St Augustine as a novice in 1977, later making his solemn vows in 1981, a permanent commitment that marked his full entry into religious life.
He completed a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Villanova University in 1977 before moving into theological studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where he earned a Master of Divinity as part of his preparation for priesthood.
Prevost then pursued advanced studies in canon law at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas – the Angelicum – in Rome, obtaining both a Licentiate and a Doctorate.
Alongside his academic work, he spent many years in Peru, serving in a range of roles within the Augustinian missions there.
After his childhood in Illinois and early signs of a vocation, Prevost entered the Order of St Augustine as a novice in 1977, later making his solemn vows in 1981, a permanent commitment to the order that marked his full entry into religious life
Prevost’s service in South America and, later, his responsibilities in Rome brought him increasingly into contact with senior Church leadership, eventually leading to his appointment to the Curia under Pope Francis.
Colleagues say he is fluent in multiple languages – including English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese – and can also read Latin and German, skills that later proved valuable as he worked across different cultures and regions.
During his years in Rome, he became known not just for his scholarship but for his ability to engage with people from widely varied backgrounds.
Prevost’s relationship with Pope Francis developed over years of collaboration inside the Curia, shaped by mutual respect and a shared instinct for pastoral care.
Francis valued his steadiness and entrusted him with ever more complex responsibilities.
By the time his name began circulating during the recent conclave, few in the Vatican were surprised.
Looking back at the soft-faced toddler in the documentary – the child with bright eyes and a gentle calm – it is striking how much of the man he became was already there.
