Personal trainer stunned to find out his client is now Pope Leo XIV
Valerio Masella, a 26-year-old personal trainer at a gym near the Vatican, was shocked to learn that his client, Robert Francis Prevost, was elected as Pope Leo XIV, leading 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw him on television," said Masella, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano. "He was a client like any other, and he behaved like all the clients of this gym."
For the past two years, Masella had been training Prevost, unaware of his true identity. Prevost never came to the gym dressed in clerical garments, always appearing in comfortable clothes. "He came in casual clothes," Masella noted. "He was always kind, never nervous or irritated. A truly serene and balanced person."
The news of Prevost's election left Masella and other gym members surprised. "Nobody knew that Robert was a cardinal," Masella said. "He never spoke about his work, and we never asked."
Masella described Prevost's physical condition. "He has exceptional physical condition for a man of his age," he stated. "He has a lot of physical endurance and was rather constant in his training, which I found remarkable."
Prevost's training program included aerobic exercises like treadmill or stationary bike, followed by strength and posture exercises. "We started with about twenty minutes on the treadmill or stationary bike," Masella commented. "Then we did exercises useful for strengthening the muscles, and others more specific for posture."
Between exercises, Masella and Prevost exchanged a few words. "He focused on the exercises and always thanked me at the end of the session," Masella recalled. "Occasionally, he asked me how long I had been working as a personal trainer."
Reflecting on Prevost's demeanor, Masella said, "His posture, composure, and serenity were truly extraordinary. He never seemed stressed and transmitted a particular serenity."
Another gym member, Alessandro Tamburlani, expressed joy upon learning that someone he knew was elected as the new pope. "My joy was double, even triple," he said, according to El Confidencial. "The joy of finally having a new Holy Father after the mandatory mourning period we went through, and the joy of knowing that he is a good man and, moreover, someone we already knew here at the gym."
Tamburlani praised Pope Leo XIV's ability to combine spirituality and athletic training. "He is a person who excellently harmonized spirituality and physical training," he remarked.
Masella admitted that perhaps there are other members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy in the same gym. "Here you come to train, and that's it," he said. "I never asked him about his work, and he never talked about it."
Despite training Prevost for two years, Masella never knew what his exact profession was. "I thought he might be a professor or an academic because he didn't wear a cardinal's cassock," he explained. "He was very reserved but also very courteous."
"It doesn't happen every day to train a pope without knowing it," Masella said. "We've lost a regular client but gained an incredible story to tell."
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