Father Alexander Palliparambil, the Chair of Saint Augustine and Augustinian Spirituality at Estudio Teologico Agustiniano de Valladolid in Spain, had a bet with a fellow brother from his community that their former prior general would be elected the new pope. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who once headed the Augustinians worldwide, was elected on May 8 and took the papal name Leo XIV. Palliparambil, who won a bottle of champagne from the bet, recounts to THE WEEK his long association with the pope.
Back in 2004, as our small Augustinian community in Kerala prepared for a momentous occasion―the priestly ordination of six of our brothers―I was entrusted with the role of master of ceremonies. Father Prevost was then our prior general, and I invited him to attend. He agreed. He was like the pope of our Order, and we had to work closely with him to plan everything. So, my direct association with him began in 2004.
Father Prevost has always been someone who listened more than he spoke. And every time he visited, he wanted to learn about India and its people. He never stayed long―perhaps just a few days―because we were present in 56 countries at the time, and it was part of his duty to visit each country at least twice in a six-year term. During his visits to India, we took him to cultural events, not only Catholic feasts but also local festivals that featured chenda melam and the elephants. He was always excited to see all that.
He adapted to everything―the heat, the food. Of course, we were careful not to serve anything too spicy or hot. But he was never fussy. He ate whatever we gave him. He was very reserved and never expressed personal preferences; he never wanted to inconvenience anyone.
In 2006, he visited again. That was when we acquired a school in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu. I accompanied him on the journey, which we made in a Mahindra Bolero. I took many photographs of him during that trip. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of those pictures in the 2018 floods in Kerala.
We Indians have deep reverence for our superiors, so we tend to be formal with them. But he was someone who came down to our level, making it easy for us to communicate with him. I had quite a personal experience of this during my time as Regional Superior from 2006 to 2010, after the Augustinian Order in India was constituted as a single governing entity. In 2006, while I was in Rome for higher studies, Father Prevost and my immediate superior asked me to take charge of governance in India under the newly unified structure.
Those four years were very special. There was a kind of intimacy, a sense that you could talk to him about anything. You feel a deep trust when he is around. We discussed everything―projects, the friars, our future plans and his need for international missions. In 2009, I sent him a young missionary for service in Algeria, the birthplace of St Augustine. Father Prevost oversaw a vast network: around 2,500 priests, nearly 500 brothers, approximately 9,000 to 10,000 sisters, and between 300 and 500 houses across the world. While I was in Rome, we stayed in the same residence. But during that period, he travelled frequently, so we didn’t see him daily. When he was around, you might catch him during walking hours, tea breaks or simply in passing along what we called the veranda.
Band of brothers: Father Palliparambil (front row, fourth from left) with Robert Francis Prevost (third from left) and other members of the Augustinian commission in charge of training priests at St Monica College, Rome.
In Europe, hierarchy is not emphasised as much as it is in India. Of course, there is respect, but it is not rigid. Interactions are more relaxed. Having said that, he never spoke more than what was necessary. He was very thoughtful, always thinking before speaking. And he had this smile, one that made you feel welcome and safe.
In November 2023, I went to Rome for a meeting. By then, he was already a cardinal. We had a long conversation, mostly about his missionary days. I regret not taking a selfie; that was my mistake! But what stood out was how, despite being such a high-ranking cardinal, he remained deeply humble.
Even as a cardinal, he would often walk to our house, just five minutes from the Curia. He joined us for morning prayers and sometimes stayed for breakfast. If his schedule allowed, he joined us for other meals, too.
What really struck me was his attention to others, especially his secretary, a young priest from Peru, I believe. Whenever they arrived and the dining area was full, the first thing he did was ensure his secretary had a seat before he himself sat down. That kind of humility is rare in someone of his stature.
And he loved tennis! We have a small court in our garden, and I have seen him play with his secretary when time permitted. That was the only hobby-like activity I witnessed firsthand.
I did not just expect him to become pope―I hoped and desired it. In many ways, he had already been the ‘pope’ of the Augustinian Order. He had the experience of managing a global organisation spread across 56 countries. That is no small feat. That kind of experience is invaluable in today’s world, where the pope is expected to respond to global crises, wars and conflicts. In that sense, I believe Pope Leo XIV is uniquely qualified, perhaps more so than anyone else.
I think the cardinals who elected him likely took into account his social and missionary work in Peru. I see him as more Latin American than American. Besides, his maternal lineage is Spanish. He feels more at home in Latin American culture. He speaks fluent Spanish. In fact, in Rome, I always spoke to him in Spanish, not English.
Photos from Peru show him among the poor, just like Pope Francis. But if you noticed the stola (the liturgical vestment) he wore, it was the same as the one Pope Benedict wore. Maybe he wanted to signal continuity, that he was also with Benedict.
But the name Leo surprised me. I thought he would choose something Augustinian. But Leo XIII was known as the father of the Church’s social doctrine. With this name, I believe he wants to highlight his commitment to social justice and the working class―not only the poor, but also the struggling middle class.
―As told to Nirmal Jovial