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The Pope is a White Sox fan.
Cardinals gathered in the Vatican chose Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, on their second day of the conclave Thursday, electing an American-born pontiff for the first time.
The born and raised Chicagoan immediately sparked questions along the city’s biggest sports divide: is he a Cubs or White Sox fan?
The new pope grew up on the southern edge of Chicago, then went to high school in Michigan and college at Villanova. He returned to Chicago to receive a master of divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park and teach at St. Rita of Cascia High School, both firmly in White Sox country. All of this led initial speculation, including local Chicagoan interviewed on the NBC News broadcast of the papal announcement, to lean toward the White Sox.
But shortly afterward, ABC News reported Leo was actually a Cubs fan. The team’s social media ran with the news, posting a congratulatory message with a photo of Wrigley Field’s famous marquee, reading, “Hey Chicago, He’s A Cubs Fan!” Accounts for the team’s RSN, Marquee Sports Network, also made several posts about the Pope.
Over the course of the brisk but sunny Chicago afternoon, the truth came to light. Local news station WGN did an interview with Leo’s brother, John Prevost, who revealed the pontiff roots for the South Siders.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,” John Prevost said. “Our mother was a Cubs fan, I don’t know, maybe that clued in there, and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where that all came from.”
A friend of Leo’s from St. Louis also confirmed the White Sox ties Thursday to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields,” a White Sox spokesperson told Front Office Sports. “Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark.”
During the back-and-forth, the White Sox, who last year racked up the most losses in MLB history, were busy losing 10–0 to the Royals.
The White Sox embraced the papal connection once confirmed, posting the video of John Prevost with an image of their scoreboard reading “Hey Chicago, he’s a Sox fan!”
