Pope Leo XIV has managed to achieve a monumental first, being the first American Pope, but he’s also arguably the first gamer Pope, with a love for Wordle and Words With Friends, so I’ll let you decide which one you think is more impressive.
In an interview with NBC, Pope Leo XIV’s brother, John Prevost, discussed talking with his brother before he went into the Conclave, and what kind of activities the pair did together. “First, we do Wordle, because this is a regular thing, OK,” Prevost says. “Then we do Words With Friends. It’s something to keep his mind off life in the real world.”
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It’s neat to find out that our current Pope plays Wordle. I’m just here wondering if he ever uses our hints page. There’s no shame in that. But it’s also not very surprising, considering the hold Wordle had over everyone when it first released back in 2022.
The creator of Wordle, Josh Wardle, has also previously discussed how the entire reason he made this game was to create something fun for someone he loved: “I’m building this game for my partner.”
“Don’t try to make Wordle,” Wardle said at the time. “Make the thing that you’re passionate about that is meaningful to you. And then everything else will follow from that.”
Wardle no longer actually owns Wordle, as he sold it off to The New York Times a few years ago. But I have no doubt that he must be feeling some kind of way knowing that a game he originally made for his partner and friends is now being played by the Pope.
Prevost didn’t just stick to games while chatting with his brother. He also asked the new Pope whether he’d finished watching Conclave in order to prepare for his possible election, and hilariously, he’d apparently just finished watching it. Life imitates art. “I wanted to take his mind off of it,” Prevost continues. “You know, laugh about something, because this is now an awesome responsibility.”
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