Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, was spotted donning support for the Chicago White Sox on June 11, replacing his traditional zucchetto skullcap with a baseball hat.
Here’s what to know.
White Sox share picture of Pope Leo in team garb
During his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 11, the pope popped on a White Sox hat to take a picture with a newly married couple, the groom also sporting a team hat.
Soon after, the White Sox shared a picture of the pope’s show of support on social media, writing the caption, “Pope Leo XIV representing his favorite squad,” on Facebook.
Pope Leo declared a White Sox fan
Though many Americans initially speculated that the Chicago-born pope supported the Cubs, his brother put the question to rest in a May interview with WGN TV.
John Prevost said the pope, who grew up in a town bordering Chicago’s South Side, “was always a Sox fan.”
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan,” the pope’s sibling said. “So I don’t know where that came from.”
The Chicago Sun-Times obtained a photo from a family friend of Pope Leo at a World Series game in 2005, while other fans spotted the pope in the stands during a broadcast of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series.
Is Pope Leo a Bears fan?
Vice President JD Vance gifted the pope a custom Bears jersey when the pair met at the Vatican in May, the jersey bearing the pope’s name and number (XIV), according to CBS News.
In response, the pope told Vance, “Good choice.”
Will Pope Leo be in Chicago for June 14 celebration?
The city of Chicago will hold a celebration for the pope’s election on June 14 at Rate Field, home to the Chicago White Sox, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago’s website.
Though Pope Leo will not be in attendance for the event, the celebration will feature a video message from the pope.
Gates to the stadium will open at 12:30 p.m., the program will kick off at 2:30 p.m., and Mass will take place at 4 p.m.
Natalie Neysa Alund, Alyssa Barbieri, Jordan Mendoza and Phaedra Trethan contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Pope Leo confirms support for White Sox by donning team hat at Vatican. See pictures
Reporting by Hannah Hudnall and Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY NETWORK / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
