Share and Follow
In an amusing twist of fate, it seems divine intervention wasn’t enough to prevent a case of mistaken identity. A Chicago bank employee inadvertently disconnected a call from none other than Pope Leo XIV, mistaking it for a prank. The Pope’s brother, John Prevost, recounted the incident on CNN’s OutFront, highlighting the pontiff’s unsuccessful attempt to update his address to the Vatican just two months into his papacy last summer.
Prevost, who happened to be on the call with his 70-year-old brother, the head of the Catholic Church, shared the story with a blend of humor and disbelief. “The conversation went on for quite some time,” he said, “to the point where I felt compelled to inform the bank worker, ‘You might like to know you’re actually speaking with my brother, who’s currently in Rome.'” He then added, “‘You’re speaking with the Pope.'” Despite their efforts, the confusion persisted.
This incident serves as a humorous reminder of the challenges even the most prominent figures can face when dealing with everyday customer service. While the situation might have been frustrating at the moment, it undoubtedly provides a chuckle in retrospect, illustrating the Pope’s unexpected brush with bureaucracy.
“It went on so long, I said, ‘You know, ma’am, it might be helpful for you to know you’re talking to my brother who’s in Rome right now,’” said Prevost, who was apparently on the phone with the 70-year-old head of the Catholic Church.
“‘You’re speaking with the Pope,” Prevost recalled saying.
“She said, ‘Oh really?’ And hung up.”
Prevost didn’t reveal which bank it was.
The teller had believed she was the target of a Prince-Albert-in-a-can-style “prank call,” and a local cleric later sorted things out for the pope, Prevost said.
Earlier in the call, the pope gave the bank worker his Social Security number and answered a list of security questions to change his address and phone number, Prevost said.
The worker then told him had to come in person to finalize the changes.
“She said, ‘Okay, what’s the bank account number?’” Prevost said. “He gave it to her. ‘What is your Social Security number?’ He gave it to her. ‘What was your formal address?’ He gave it to her. There were about four or five different questions. He gave them all to her.”
Pope Leo’s friend, Rev. Tom McCarthy, told a group Catholics in Naperville, Illinois, a similar story about the hang-up experience last week.
“Could you imagine being known as the woman who hung up on the pope?” he quipped.