Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, brings a background that includes a formation in mathematics. This aspect of his early academic and professional journey has garnered interest, alongside a specific curiosity related to a media mix-up about his supposed publications involving mathematics and theology. This article details Pope Leo XIV’s mathematical background and clarifies the widely circulated misconception.
Pope Leo XIV’s Education and Early Work in Mathematics
Before embarking on his ecclesiastical career, Robert Francis Prevost dedicated himself academically to the exact sciences. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1977. Concurrent with his mathematics studies, Prevost also pursued Philosophy at the same institution.
Following his graduation, the future Pope Leo XIV applied his knowledge professionally in the field of education. He taught mathematics and physics at a Catholic high school in Chicago, utilizing his academic expertise in shaping young students’ minds.
A Media Curiosity: The Pope, Mathematics, and the Existence of God
An episode that generated considerable public and media discussion involved the attribution to Pope Leo XIV of authorship of works on the relationship between mathematics, probability, and the existence of God. Speculation and news reports circulated, claiming the pontiff had written a book titled “Probability and Theistic Explanation” or similar works using mathematical arguments to explore a theistic questions.
However, this attribution was found to be incorrect. The author of the aforementioned book and studies in that specific line of inquiry is, in fact, a namesake of the Pope, another individual also named Robert Prevost. This second Robert Prevost is a researcher active in the philosophy of religion, with a background in law and affiliated as a philosophy professor at Wingate University in North Carolina.
Official biographies of Pope Leo XIV, including those released by the Vatican, detail his formation in mathematics but do not list among his publications or academic works any pieces proposing mathematical proofs for the existence of God. Debates on social media and the circulation of inaccurate information contributed to amplifying this confusion.
Sources:
https://super.abril.com.br/ciencia/sim-o-papa-e-matematico-mas-nao-e-o-matematico-que-a-internet-pensa/ – Super Abril: Sim, o Papa é matemático. Mas não é o matemático que a internet pensa
https://g1.globo.com/educacao/noticia/2025/05/09/homonimo-papa-leao-xiv-probabilidade.ghtml – G1 Educação: Homônimo de papa Leão XIV escreveu livro sobre probabilidade e explicação teísta
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/biography-of-robert-francis-prevost-pope-leo-xiv.html – Vatican News: Biography of Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2544754/did-pope-leo-xiv-study-math-at-villanova-social-media-fuels-debate – Tribune PK: Did Pope Leo XIV study math at Villanova? Social media fuels debate