LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College and its Center for Catholic Thought and Culture (CCTC) will host Pope Leo XIV biographer Elise Ann Allen for a talk at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, in the Fred M. Rogers Center on the College’s campus.
To date, Allen is the only journalist to secure an extensive one-on-one interview with the new pope. The book, titled “Pope Leo XIV: The Biography” and released by Image, an imprint of Penguin Random House Christian, will be released the day prior to the Saint Vincent talk.
“An Evening with Elise Ann Allen” will feature a discussion and question-and-answer session. Admission is free and there is no required registration. Parking is available in Lot A. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase following the event, and Allen will be on hand to sign them.
“Saint Vincent, the first Benedictine Abbey in the United States, is pleased to host the first biographer of Pope Leo, Elise Ann Allen,” said Rt. Rev. Martin de Porres Bartel, O.S.B., S’85, archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey and chancellor of Saint Vincent College. “What an honor to have her on campus for the release of her unprecedented, detailed and intimate look at our current Holy Father. In our Holy Rule, Saint Benedict describes in great detail the characteristics and attributes of the abbot, who stands in the place of Christ in the monastery. Thanks to the work of Ms. Allen, the world will be able to get a sense, for the first time, of Robert Prevost the person, now Pope Leo XIV, who serves the Church as Vicar of Christ.”
Allen first met Pope Leo during an overseas reporting trip in 2018 when he was serving as bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo in northern Peru. She followed him for years and later secured a wide-ranging two-part interview for her papal biography, originally released in September 2025 in Spanish.
“We are very excited to welcome Elise to talk about her unique and literally firsthand knowledge of our new pope,” said Dr. Lucas Briola, C’13, Endowed Chair in Catholic Thought and Culture at Saint Vincent College, CCTC director, associate professor and chair of the Theology Department housed in the College’s School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. “Her book will play a key role in setting the tone for this already historic pontificate. Saint Vincent is honored to serve as the first place in the United States where she will launch it. Given our own rich Catholic and Benedictine mission, I can think of no better place.”
This landmark work is the first substantive biography of Pope Leo and has already been hailed as “an extraordinary achievement … a masterful and amazingly intimate portrait of our new pope,” according to Pope Francis biographer Austen Ivereigh. It’s also been called “essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the Church’s pastor—his priorities, convictions and vision for the future of faith.”
The work also includes interviews with his family members. Having met him before he was elected to the papacy, Allen notes Pope Leo’s temperament has remained consistent.
“I was especially impressed by his humbleness, frankness, tranquility and sense of transparency that he conveyed in our conversations,” Allen said.
The biography also includes transcripts from Pope Leo’s first official press meeting after his appointment, accounts from the 2025 conclave, and an extensive history of his childhood, family and ministry.
Allen is a correspondent in Rome for the specialized media outlet Crux, covering the Vatican and the global Church. Before joining Crux, Allen worked with Catholic News Agency, first as a multimedia and content management assistant in Denver, Colorado, then as senior Rome correspondent covering the Vatican.
“Pope Leo XIV: The Biography” will release in hardcover, e-book and audio formats on April 28.
Interested attendees with questions are encouraged to contact Briola at lucas.briola@stvincent.edu.
