‘He is so humble’: Tulsan reflects on decades-long friendship with Pope Leo XIV

When Milann Siegfried heard there was white smoke, she knew there was a chance the man who walked out could be the person she’s known for more than two decades. But it was still a shock. Siegfried met the then Reverend Robert Prevost around the time she served as chair of the board at Cascia Hall Preparatory School. Prevost was on the board there from 1999-2001. Siegfried sat down with News On 6, a day after he was elected Pope.

Who is Pope Leo to you?

Siegfried: "He’s a friend. I can’t even believe that he, that we’re still friends. 29 years, I think it’s like 29 years since I met him…He’ll be a friend to everybody because he’s so humble."

You emailed him yesterday?

Siegfried: "I did. I haven’t heard back, but that’s okay."

The email reads:

"God be with you! 

That is such a blessing for our Church and the world

Milann"

When did you last see Pope Leo?

Siegfried: "We were in Rome in December. When we had dinner, my daughter Meredith, and Pete, her husband, and I had dinner in the Augustinian House across the street from the Vatican… and that was when he told us at dinner that he met with the Pope every day."

So, do you think he will continue on the path Pope Francis was on because they were so close?

Siegfried: "That’s what I’ve heard, that yeah, he could carry on his legacy."

Tell me about things that other people might not know that you have learned about him as a friend?

Siegfried: "He's fun. He is fun. And he has an open heart, and he's brilliant. Although he is so humble. You could see it in his face yesterday, how happy he was to lead in Christ. He has love for the whole world… the less fortunate. He was a missionary for years."

Are there any anecdotes that you can share with us?

Siegfried: "The best story is from all of the Augustinians in Chicago, because they're all for the other baseball team, but Pope Leo is for the White Sox. And so they told me, Father Bernie, that was the headmaster at Cascia…maybe now that he's pope, his prayers for the White Sox will be answered.

The Cardinal previously told us that he was a White Sox fan. And Pete, Meredith's husband…knows all about sports. And he said, Why? And he (the Pope) said, 'Maybe I just like the underdog.'"