Since his election as the first American pope, Leo XIV has leaned into the Church’s traditions — donning the formal vestments, reviving the use of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, and choosing to live in the Apostolic Palace. Yet he may soon break with one long-standing custom: living alone.
According to reports in La Repubblica, Pope Leo is preparing to move into the palace, the traditional papal residence overlooking St. Peter’s Square. But unlike his predecessors, he intends to bring with him a small community of Augustinian friars, turning the grand space into a shared religious household. The Vatican has not officially confirmed the plan.
The rumored housemates — three friars from Italy, the Philippines, and Nigeria — currently assist with the Pope’s liturgical wardrobe, according to The Times.
The Telegraph reported another possible addition: Father Edgard Rimaycuna, the Pope’s Peruvian personal secretary.
The outlet also noted that it appeared to be the first time a pope would live with others.
“It seems to be new to me,” Vatican correspondent Iacopo Scaramuzzi told The Telegraph. “I don’t know if that takes account of the long history of the church but certainly in the modern era.”
The friars’ potential presence would reflect the deep communal ethos of the Augustinian order, to which Pope Leo has belonged for decades.
“He has made it clear since his election he is a son of Augustine and believes in the significance of community. I can see he would miss that,” Father Ian Wilson, a Scottish Augustinian who studied alongside Leo in Rome, told The Times.
Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, has so far delayed his move into the palace due to damp conditions caused by years of vacancy under Pope Francis, who declined to live there during his 12-year papacy. Francis instead chose the simpler Casa Santa Marta guesthouse.
But Pope Leo’s approach has been different. While he continues to honor the spiritual priorities of his predecessor, his style has been more traditionally papal. His choice to live in community as pope could be a defining aspect of his papacy.
“He always liked to be with other friars and when he was a cardinal he would come for morning prayers and Mass at 7.30,” Fr. Wilson said. “He would sometimes have lunch at the General Curia and take whichever chair was free.”
“He loves a good conversation and I miss him. I can imagine him wanting to now recreate a community of friars who would pray with him, talk with him and share a joke,” he added. “He would also like a group around him where he can relax knowing that everything is strictly confidential.”
Father Alejandro Moral Antón, the head of the Augustinians, shared that Leo quietly dropped in on June 1 to celebrate his 70th birthday.
“For us the community of friars is really important,” he said. “It’s a place to talk about anything you want with people you have faith in. It’s like family.”
From Catholic Vote
This seems like a good and appropriate change in (“small ‘t'”) tradition. The Pope is back in the papal apartment(s), but not by himself. Especially as a man used to living in a religious community, this seems to be a healthy development. A bishop, even the bishop of Rome, is still a priest (and even still a deacon!). Living alone has its dangers, especially for those in positions of authority. I was encouraged by this.
When Pope Leo was elected, and started talking and writing all about his Augustinian religious order, and the fact that he is “a son of St. Augustine”– which forms his whole being and ministry– my first thought was, that he could not possibly function as a “lone Pope,” without his religious community, and their daily way of life. Strangely, the Jesuit, Pope Francis, never seemed to identify deeply as a “son if St. Ignatius,” with strict Ignatian rules and religious way of life. He also took the name and religious style of St. Francis of Assisi, not St.Ignatius of Loyola, or a Jesuit saint. He never seemed to write or speak in Jesuit terms at all. I am totally happy for Pope Leo, with his wise decision to continue to live in community with his fellow Augustinian friars, following their shared religious rule of life, while serving as Pope.