Inside the Mind of Pope Leo XIV with Papal Biographer Elise Allen

In this premiere episode from the new Roman studio of 'God's Planning,' host Fr. Patrick Briscoe welcomes papal biographer Elise Allen to discuss her new book, 'The Official Biography of Pope Leo XIV.' The conversation traces Allen's journey from her 2018 investigative reporting in Peru—where she first met then-Bishop Robert Prevost during a scandal involving the religious order Solicium Christiane Vitae—to their growing professional relationship and eventual prediction of his papal election. Allen reveals how Prevost’s humility, transparency, and deep pastoral experience in Latin America made him a unifying figure among cardinals, even as he remained relatively unknown. She emphasizes his Augustinian spirituality—rooted in reflection, listening, and unity—as central to his papal style, contrasting it with Pope Francis’s more impulsive approach. Allen also explores how Pope Leo XIV’s procedural mindset, global experience, and commitment to inter-departmental collaboration in the Curia signal a shift toward structured reform. The episode touches on his American identity, his love for simple joys like homemade pumpkin pie, and his ability to balance Western perspectives with global realities, all while navigating synodality, safeguarding, and international diplomacy with grace and intentionality.