After weeks of rampant speculation and bitter crosstown rhetoric, Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, finally revealed where his MLB loyalties lie: And it’s not going to make North Siders happy.
On Wednesday, the first American pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church donned a black White Sox baseball cap during the general assembly in Rome.
Pope Leo XIV is wearing a White Sox hat at the Vatican pic.twitter.com/otKQk2lHfJ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 11, 2025
The pontiff’s wearing of the ChiSox hat gives North Siders a rare cause for happiness and hope. Chicago currently sits at 23-44 and is a whopping 20.5 games out of first place. Only the lowly Colorado Rockies (essentially a minor league team) are further behind their division leader (27 games).
If White Sox fans are tired of seeing bad baseball (and they are), the Archdiocese of Chicago is planning a celebration for the pontiff at Rate Field in Chicago on June 14.
The White Sox commemorated Pope Leo XIV attending Game 1 of the 2005 World Series with a graphic installation in the section where he sat. pic.twitter.com/Bd26uSQ6Uo
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) May 19, 2025
The gates open at 12:30 CST. Pope Leo XIV is not expected to attend the event in person. The event starts at 2:30 PM CST, and a mass is scheduled for 4 PM CST.
