Who was Pope Leo XIV before the world knew him as pope?

Before the white cassock, before the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, and before the name Pope Leo XIV, there was Robert Francis Prevost, an Augustinian priest whose story was deeply rooted in Rome.

In this special Vaticano documentary, we explore the people, places, friendships, and spiritual milestones that shaped the first American-born pope, revealing how Robert Prevost became a Roman long before his election to the Chair of Peter.

Pope Leo’s First Moments in Rome

His journey in the Eternal City began in the early 1980s, when the young Augustinian arrived in Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, known as the Angelicum. There, he completed his doctoral studies, immersed himself in the life of the Church, and embraced a vision of leadership that would define his ministry for decades: authority exercised through service.

We visit the Augustinian communities that became his home and the Chapel of St. Monica, where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 and where he often returned in prayer. Through the testimony of fellow Augustinians who lived and worked alongside him, a portrait emerges of a man marked by humility, simplicity, deep prayer, and a strong commitment to community life.

The Augustinians and Pope Leo

The documentary follows Prevost’s return to Rome as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine, his service as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis, his creation as a cardinal, and the remarkable path that led to his election as Pope Leo XIV on May 8, 2025.

The Saints and Pope Leo

We also uncover the story behind the pope’s pectoral cross, which contains relics closely tied to his Augustinian heritage, and travel to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, where he made one of his first pilgrimages as pope, entrusting his pontificate to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Through rare personal testimonies and visits to the places that formed him, this documentary offers an intimate look at the man behind the papacy and the enduring bonds between Robert Prevost, the Augustinian Order, the Vatican, and the city that helped shape his vocation: Rome.