Crux

ROME – Penguin Random House announced Monday that notoriously media-shy Pope Leo XIV has given his first-ever papal interview to Crux Senior Correspondent Elise Ann Allen as part of her new biography of the pontiff. Titled León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI, or “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century,” the book will be published by Penguin Peru in Spanish Sept. 18 and will be available in bookstores nationwide. English and Portuguese editions of the book, which will hit bookstores in Spain, Mexico and Colombia this fall, will be released in early 2026. Select excerpts of the pope’s interview will be released in Spanish and English Sept. 14, ahead of the book’s publication. Since his election to the papacy May 8, history’s first North American pope and the first pope to hold Peruvian citizenship has emerged as a quiet personality who is cautious, but decisive. His interview with Allen, conducted in two hour-and-a-half long sessions for a total of about three hours of conversation, is the first he has given since stepping into his new role as leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. An initial interview discussing the pope’s life, missionary experience and ecclesial career was conducted July 10 at Villa Barberini, the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. Crux’s Elise Ann Allen and Pope Leo XIV at the Villa Borghese, the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, on July 10, 2025. (Credit: Cruxnow.com.) A second interview discussing matters of contemporary importance both in the church and in global affairs was held at Pope Leo’s residence inside of the Vatican’s Palazzo Sant’Uffizio July 30. “A new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church is about to begin. With the election of Robert Prevost as Leo XIV, the world is preparing to discover him and the traces of his past that will illuminate the direction his pontificate will take,” said a Sept. 8 press release from Penguin announcing the book and the interview. The book, the statement said, introduces the pope to the world by tracing “a complete and unprecedented profile of Pope Leo XIV, from his childhood in Chicago to his years as a missionary in Peru and his key role in the Vatican.” Testimonies from close friends and collaborators in the United States, Peru, and Rome paint an intimate portrait of the new pope from a human level, according to those who have known him and worked alongside him for years. Pope Leo speaks with Elise Ann Allen in the Villa Barberini located in Castel Gandolfo on July 10, 2025. (Credit: CruxNow.Com) Throughout the book, Pope Leo reflects on his own childhood, his arrival in Peru as a young missionary, and his formative pastoral experience during a tumultuous time for Peruvian society. He also discusses his roles as prior general of the Augustinian order, as bishop of Chiclayo, and as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops. He describes his relationship with Pope Francis and shares personal impressions of how he experienced the conclave and his own election to the papacy. Looking to the future, Leo shares his perspective on being the first American and Peruvian pope, his understanding of the role of the papacy, and the importance of building bridges of dialogue, as well as his approach to current geopolitical issues such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the Holy See’s engagement with China and the United States, and Vatican finances. CruxNow.Com’s Editor in Chief John Allen, Pope Leo XIV and Crux’s Elise Ann Allen at the Palazzo Sant’Uffizio at the Vatican on Jul 30, 2025. (Credit: CruxNow.com) Pope Leo also offered his perspective on key internal church matters such as the clerical sexual abuse crisis, synodality, the role of women in the church, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics, and the importance of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. “Elise Ann Allen has given us a masterful and amazingly intimate portrait of our new pope,” said celebrated papal biographer Austen Ivereigh, whose biography of Pope Francis “The Great Reformer” became a global point of reference on the Argentine pontiff.

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