The Pope Got Hung Up On By A Customer Service Agent At His Bank While Trying To Switch His Address To The Vatican

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images

Last year, America produced its first-ever pope when a Chicago native named Robert Prevost was elected to serve as the Supreme Pontiff. The man who is now known as Pope Leo XIV had to deal with some logistical issues after heading to Vatican City to start his new life, which included a very relatable interaction with a customer service agent at the bank he uses.

Last April, Pope Francis passed away after spending 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church, and cardinals around the world flocked to the Vatican to kick off Conclave Season for the first time since 2013.

Italy’s Pietro Parolin entered the sequestered session as the odds-man favorite to succeed him. However, we were treated to a bit of a stunner after white smoke began to flow from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, as the world learned Robert Prevost, who was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, had won the election that made him Pope Leo XIV.

The pope may have a sizeable team that assists with the transition that comes with being named to that particular role, but there are some matters Leo has handled personally. That includes what should have seemingly been a straightforward conversation with his bank, but he found himself thrust into customer service hell.

Pope Leo got shut down after name-dropping himself to try to cut through some red tape at his bank

Father Tom McCarthy is also a native of Chicago’s South Side and a fellow Augustinian who was close with Pope Leo well before he ascended to the papacy. Last week, he delivered some remarks at a Fishers of Men gathering at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Naperville, Illinois, which included a very amusing anecdote about his friend’s experience with a bank in Chicago.

McCarthy said the pope called up the financial institution, which he relied on to handle donations to the church, a couple of months after he was elected to his new role in order to update his phone number and address. He answered the requisite security questions only to encounter a setback when he was informed he would have to visit the bank in person, which was a bit of an issue when you consider doing so would require him to travel nearly 5,000 miles from Rome.

It’s hard to blame him for trying to press the issue by saying, “Would it matter to you if I told you I’m Pope Leo?” However, McCarthy said that query apparently led to the woman on the other end of the line hanging up on him.

It ended up working out in the end, as he managed to reach out to someone who was able to contact the bank’s president, who confirmed he needed to make the updates in person but ultimately opted to give him a pass after being informed a refusal to budge would likely lead to the loss of an account belonging to the pope.