Leo XIV gave his father's inheritance to help build a church in Peru
The story is told in "American Pope" by NPR journalists Daniel Burke and Scott Detrow, as reported by People
Pope Leo XIV gave his father's inheritance to help build a church in Peru. The story is told in "American Pope," the new book by NPR journalists Daniel Burke and Scott Detrow released this month, as reported by People magazine.
The inheritance and the Santa María church. According to the book, after his father Louis Prevost died in November 1997, the then-Augustinian missionary used his inheritance to pay for the concrete foundation of a church in the Santa María neighborhood. Women from the neighborhood had asked the friars for help: they had land but no building, and the community gathered in makeshift shelters of thatched leaves and sticks. Prevost helped with paperwork and equipment but left the main tasks, including seeking donations abroad, to the parishioners.
"Luigi" in Peru. His father made extended visits to Peru, where seminarians called him "Luigi." His picture still hangs in the formation house's chapel.
What we don't know. The source does not say in which city or diocese the church stands.
Sources: People (excerpts from "American Pope" by Daniel Burke and Scott Detrow); our news flash.
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Source: People