“I am the Pope”: the bank didn’t believe the pontiff and hung up
The New York Times reports this, citing Tom McCarthy, a priest from Illinois who has been close to Leo XIV for many years. The details of the story were also reported by The Irish Times and the National Catholic Register.
Pope Leo XIV found himself in an almost anecdotal situation during a conversation with an American bank.
According to Father Tom McCarthy, this happened about two months after Leo XIV’s enthronement. The pontiff rang a bank in the US to inform them of a change of telephone number and address.
During the call, he gave his secular name – Robert Prevost.
A bank employee asked him the standard security questions. The Pope answered them correctly, but this proved insufficient.
The employee stated that to change his contact details, he would have to visit the bank branch in the US in person.
The Pope replied that he could not do so, as he was in another country and had already been verified.
He then tried to explain the situation directly.
“Would it make a difference if I said I was Pope Leo?” he asked, according to McCarthy.
After this remark, the bank employee hung up.
According to the National Catholic Register, McCarthy recounted the story during a meeting in Naperville, Illinois. He cited it as an example of how even the head of the Catholic Church can encounter typical banking bureaucracy.
Leo XIV was elected Pope in May 2025 following the death of Francis. He became the first pontiff in history from the United States.
As reported by ThePublic, US President Donald Trump has once again accused Pope Leo XIV of “endangering” Catholics.
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