Overview
- A video of Rev. Tom McCarthy recounting the story at an April 29 event in Illinois spread widely online this week, pushing the tale into the news.
- Two months into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV called his Chicago bank as Robert Prevost, answered security questions, and was told he had to visit in person before the call ended.
- After that setback, an Augustinian contact reached the bank’s president, who cited policy before agreeing to update the account when warned the pope might move his funds.
- The pope’s brother later told CNN the employee thought the call was a prank, and an order official ultimately went to the branch to finish the change.
- Neither the Vatican nor the bank has confirmed the account, and the episode highlights how anti-fraud rules push banks to require in-person checks even when a caller’s identity sounds extraordinary.