Pope Leo XIV studies German at night on Duolingo. Polyglot and digital, he already speaks five languages and transforms insomnia into learning
A polyglot and technological Pontiff: Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, uses the popular Duolingo app to learn German, often at night when insomnia keeps him awake. The curiosity, which emerged last autumn and relaunched by several international newspapers, made the web smile: users of the platform recognized a suspicious profile, linked it to the Pope and even started writing him ironic messages.
The account, registered under the name “Robert” and associated with the username @drprevost – the same one used by Prevost on X before the election of 8 May 2025 – was active from Rome, often around three in the morning. A detail that did not go unnoticed: “Holy Father, it’s three in the morning, what are you doing?”, wrote a user. The confirmation came from brother John Prevost, who explained to the National Catholic Reporter how those nocturnal sessions are perfectly compatible with the Pope’s habits: if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he studies, plays with words, keeps his mind active.
Pope Leo The interest in German is not a whim: it is a key language in the European Catholic panorama, central to the contemporary theological and cultural debate. In a pontificate that addresses global dossiers with a dialogue approach, even the linguistic choice becomes a signal.
A digital Pope, between insomnia and continuous learning
There is an image that tells more than many analyses: the Pope awake in the middle of the night, smartphone in hand, while he transforms insomnia in the studio. No sacred distance, no demonization of technology. On the contrary, a daily, almost domestic use of digital tools. Leo XIV practices tennis in Castel Gandolfo, evaluates the installation of fitness equipment in the Apostolic Palace and, apparently, also collects completed lessons like millions of users around the world. It is normality applied to the most symbolic role that exists.
What is Duolingo and why it has changed the way you study languages
Duolingo was born as a digital language learning platform and today is one of the most downloaded educational apps in the world. His success lies in a simple but very powerful idea: study little, study often. The lessons last a few minutes, are designed to be inserted into everyday life and are based on listening, writing, translation and visual recognition exercises.
The language is that of the game: experience points, levels, lives, daily objectives and the famous “streaks”, the series of consecutive days of study that almost become a moral commitment. It is a system that creates habit, rather than performance, and which has won over students, professionals, frequent travelers and anyone who wants to keep their mind trained.
How the app works: micro-lessons, algorithm and consistency
The operation is intuitive: you choose a language, start from a level test (or from the absolute beginning) and advance by thematic units. The algorithm adapts the exercises to the user’s errors, repeating what needs to be reinforced. There is no canonical hour to study: five minutes on the subway, ten before sleeping, a night session when sleep doesn’t come. Exactly as in the case of the Pope.
Duolingo does not promise miracles, but continuity. And this is precisely the key to its global success.
The most studied languages: from English to Korean
Among the most studied languages on the app are English – especially as a second language -, Spanish and French, followed by German and Italian. Courses such as Korean and Japanese have also grown significantly in recent years, driven by the global cultural influence of Asia, and those in languages considered “niche” until recently.
German, chosen by Leo XIV, is among the most studied European languages for academic, professional and cultural reasons. A signal consistent with a pontificate that seems to want to strengthen dialogue with the major linguistic areas of the continent.
When the green owl enters the Vatican
That Duolingo’s green owl ideally enters the Vatican is more than a pop curiosity. It is the symbol of an era in which even the oldest institutions dialogue with the present without fear. Studying a language at three in the morning, with an app, does not make the Pope less Pope. If anything, it makes him perfectly within his time.
And if even the Pontiff transforms insomnia into digital learning, the message is clear: learning is never out of place. Not even at night. Not even in Rome. Not even on the papal throne.
