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

Godsplaining

Dominican Friars Province of St. Joseph

Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Who is Pope Leo XIV—and what kind of leader will he be? In this episode of Guestsplaining, Fr. Patrick Briscoe welcomes Vatican journalist Elise Allen to discuss her new biography of the Holy Father. Drawing from personal encounters and exclusive interviews, Elise offers a behind-the-scenes look at the life, spirituality, and leadership of the first American pope. From missionary work in Peru to leadership in Rome, Pope Leo XIV brings a combination of pastoral care, global perspective, and Augustinian spirituality to his role as the "Servant of the Servants of God." What does all this mean for the Church today? Watch the full episode to hear Elise Allen shed light on his background, his approach to unity and Church reform, what sets him apart from previous popes, and more. Order your copy of Pope Leo XIV, The Biography: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/828867/pope-leo-xiv-by-elise-ann-allen/ Send your questions for the friars to: godsplaining@opeast.org Subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Godsplaining Support the Podcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/godsplaining Shop our merch store: https://godsplaining.org/store/ Shop Books Written by the Friars Witness: https://www.avemariapress.com/products/witness-1?srsltid=AfmBOoo3b2MbHxat33i-cwrd1AcSW_hPBfcHcm4-8XxJoCDn4OUgTBe_ Training the Tongue: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/training-the-tongue-and-growing-beyond-sins-of-speech Your Eucharistic Identity: https://ignatius.com/your-eucharistic-identity-yeip/ St. Dominic's Way of Life: https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Dominics-Way-Life-Knowing/dp/1681929392 Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly: https://www.amazon.com/Prudence-Choose-Confidently-Live-Boldly/dp/1681927322/ Connect on Social Media Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/godsplaining/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godsplaining/ Follow us on X: https://x.com/godsplaining To learn more about the Province of St. Joseph visit: www.opeast.org To support the Province of St. Joseph visit: www.dominicanfriars.org

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Father Patrick Briscoe. Welcome to God's planning. Thanks to all who support us.
0:09.0	If you enjoy our podcast, please consider making a monthly donation to us on Patreon.
0:14.0	Be sure to like and subscribe to God's Blaining wherever you listen to your podcast.
0:19.0	Well friends, I am so excited today for two reasons,
0:23.3	because we have the premiere episode in the new Roman studio of God's Flanning. So that's a lot of fun.
0:30.7	I actually got the lights on. There's internet here. You know, those little Italian hamsters
0:34.9	are done smoking their cigarettes for the afternoon.
0:39.7	They're back to work for us.
0:45.7	But also, and even more importantly, because my friend Elise Allen is here in the studio to discuss her new book, the official biography of Pope Leo the 14th, or, as it's called Pope Leo the 14th,
0:52.8	the biography.
0:54.0	Yes, the biography.
0:56.1	Elise, welcome to God's fighting.
0:58.0	Thank you so much, Patrick.
0:59.1	I'm really happy and really excited to be here.
1:02.2	We've had so many conversations behind cameras over the last year.
1:07.9	The best kind.
1:08.4	Some in front of, you know, where we were recently well behaved.
1:12.1	But you were on this, I feel like you and John knew what was going to happen here with this
1:19.2	pontiff either. You just had a read of where the cardinals were moving. And I don't want to say
1:23.8	that was the reason, but it is the case that you were friends with Cardinal Prevost long before the conclave. So I thought maybe we could start there with how you came to
1:32.0	know the Pope and how you came to know him before he was the Pope. No, that's a great question.
1:39.2	And it goes back really to 2018 for myself. For John, it went back further.
	...

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