Pope Leo XIV’s brother, Louis Prevost, received bomb threats via email amid the Pope’s disagreement with Donald Trump, according to law enforcement officials. The Pope criticized Trump over the ongoing war with Iran. In response, Trump criticized the pope in a Truth Social rant. He also posted an AI Jesus photo of himself, but deleted it, facing massive backlash.
The aftermath of the disagreement led to Pope’s brother reporting bomb threats aimed at his residence in Illinois. The New Lenox Police Department confirmed responding to the bomb threat at Prevost’s residence. As a precaution, the police evacuated the neighborhood while inspecting the area.
Police are looking to determine the reported threat’s origins, with the incident coming amid a brewing feud between President Trump and the first American pontiff over the war with Iran. https://t.co/A5eBICjDXK
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 16, 2026
The K-9 units thoroughly checked the area for bombs but found nothing. So the threat was proven to be “unsubstantiated.” However, the investigation in the case is still going on, trying to find the origin of the threat. The Chicago Tribune reported that New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said the threat came through an email.
But they are unsure if it was motivated by the current feud between the pope and the president. They don’t know who the suspect is, and the Mayor assured them they would follow the same actions if a resident received such a threat. Thus, it was not preferential treatment.
The mayor stated, “No matter who the resident was at this type of thing, we would be taking the same actions.” NLPD has encouraged residents to share any related information to help with the investigation.
After Trump’s Attack on Pope Leo, a Bomb Threat Came for His Brother in Suburban Chicago
John Prevost is a retired Catholic school principal who plays Wordle with his brother the pope every morning. On Wednesday night, police evacuated his neighborhood.https://t.co/qSf65mgauT
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) April 16, 2026
Trump was asked about his disagreement with Pope Leo, and he said he has the right to disagree. He does not agree with Iran having nuclear weapons. He also mentioned Pope’s brother calling him MAGA, so he likes him.
Recently, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) shared how Trump reacted when she disclosed she and her kids were getting death threats after the president called her a traitor. She said Trump had no compassion for her and blamed her. In the case of Pope Leo’s brother, he may end up blaming the pope’s comments.
