Watch: Chicago White Sox celebrate Pope Leo XIV as a longtime supporter

UPDATED: May 11, 2025 02:48 IST

In an unexpected win for Chicago’s South Side, the struggling White Sox have found a new and perhaps divine supporter: Pope Leo XIV. The newly elected pontiff, born Robert Prevost, made history this week as the first-ever Pope from the United States — and it didn’t take long for his Chicago sports roots to come to light.

Amid initial reports that he might be a Cubs fan, the White Sox quickly set the record straight after Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, confirmed in an interview with WGN-TV that the pontiff has always been loyal to the Sox. “He was always a Sox fan,” John said, clearing up the confusion caused by a viral Cubs post that congratulated the Pope with a doctored Wrigley Field marquee.

The White Sox embraced the revelation with pride, posting a video of the interview and updating the scoreboard at Guaranteed Rate Field to read: “HEY CHICAGO, HE’S A SOX FAN!” That message was still on display during batting practice Friday, ahead of the team’s game against Miami.

White Sox manager Will Venable welcomed the news, calling it a “proud moment for Chicago.” Smiling, he added: “We’ll take it. It’s great to have him on our side, for sure.”

The team also sent a jersey and cap to the Vatican, commemorating their most high-profile fan at a time when reasons to celebrate have been few. The White Sox currently sit at the bottom of the AL Central, coming off a historically poor 41–121 season in 2024 — the worst in modern MLB history.

But Pope Leo XIV’s fandom appears to go deeper than most imagined. Social media users unearthed footage of him attending Game 1 of the 2005 World Series at the US Cellular Field, cheering on the Sox as they clinched a 5–3 win over the Houston Astros. The Sox would go on to sweep the series — their first championship since 1917.

His sports loyalty extends beyond baseball. Rev. Robert P. Hagan, a friend of Pope Leo and chaplain at Villanova University — the Pope’s alma mater — told The Athletic that Leo also keeps a close eye on the New York Knicks due to their strong core of former Villanova stars.

Before becoming pope, Leo XIV served as the Vatican’s prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key leadership post he was appointed to by Pope Francis in 2023.

He was made a cardinal in September that year and is seen as closely aligned with Francis' teachings, particularly on issues like social justice, climate action, and inclusion.

Though Leo spent much of the last few decades in Peru, even becoming a Peruvian citizen in 2015 , his South Side baseball roots clearly never faded. And for the White Sox, that’s reason enough to smile.