When Pope Leo XIV sat down for his first in-depth interviews as pontiff after his election last May, he chose fellow American Elise Ann Allen, senior Rome correspondent for Crux, a Catholic media site. Allen and Leo had first met in 2018, when she was on a reporting assignment in Peru, where the then-Bishop Robert Prevost headed the diocese of Chiclayo.
The two wide-ranging interviews Allen conducted with Leo in the summer of 2025 form the heart of a new biography, “Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century.” The book—the first biography of the Pope for which he was interviewed—was published in Spanish in September, with an English edition set to follow in early 2026.
Recently, Allen kicked off a U.S. book tour at the University of Miami, where she was interviewed in a fireside chat with Miami journalist and alumna Pam Giganti.
Before an engaged, appreciative audience, Allen painted a vivid portrait of the American pontiff’s global mission and legacy, recalling their first conversation in 2018 as being “very frank, open, and transparent.” She also reflected on her personal connection to Leo, her career in international journalism, and life in Rome.
The fireside chat, which was co-sponsored by the University of Miami Alumni Association, Books and Books, the Department of Religious Studies, and UCatholic, also featured a book-signing by Allen.
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