What Happened When the Pope Had to Call Customer Service

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/us/pope-leo-xiv-bank-customer-service.html

https://archive.ph/X5vSv

What Happened When the Pope Had to Call Customer Service
Spoiler alert: There was no miracle.
By Julie Bosman
May 5, 2026

Even the Vicar of Christ can be thwarted by a customer service representative.

About two months after Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago-born cardinal, became Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City, he put in a call to his bank back home, a close friend, the Rev. Tom McCarthy, told a gathering of Catholics in Naperville, Ill., last week.

The new pope identified himself as Robert Prevost, saying that he wished to change the phone number and address that the bank had on file, Father McCarthy said.

The pope dutifully answered the security questions correctly.

...

[usonian]

1. In America, bankers are more powerful than God.

The matter was sorted out thanks to the intervention of another priest who had a connection to the bank president, Father McCarthy said.

Friends in HIGHER places?

[canetoad]

2. Great story

At least he talked to a human.

[rpannier]

3. Reading the article I can understand why the bank representative hung up

If any of us were on the phone talking to someone who claimed to be the pope, we'd likely do the same