The anecdote was shared by American priest Father McCarthy, a friend of the Pope, during a Catholic gathering and later circulated on social media via video clips. According to an article in The New York Times, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost — born in Chicago — called his bank in the United States around two months after being elected Pope.

According to Father McCarthy, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV introduced himself as Robert Prevost and explained that he wanted to change the phone number and address registered with the bank. The Pope reportedly answered all security questions correctly. Nevertheless, the bank employee informed him that the changes could not be made over the phone and that he would need to appear in person at the branch.

«He said, ‘Well, that’s something I probably won’t be able to do,’» Father McCarthy told the audience, describing the Pope’s growing frustration. «‘I’ve answered all the security questions.’»

The bank employee apologised. At that point, the Pope tried a different approach.

«Would it make a difference if I told you I’m Pope Leo?» he reportedly asked, according to Father McCarthy. The employee then hung up.

Father McCarthy later confirmed the story to the newspaper via email. He said he had been speaking to a group of Catholics during an educational event for men and boys at a church in Naperville, where he discussed his friendship with Pope Leo.

According to the priest, the issue was eventually resolved thanks to the intervention of another priest who had a connection to the bank’s president.