Pope Leo XIV is a big Chicago White Sox fan.

It’s an excellent factor too — in any other case the occasion being thrown in his honor on the staff’s house stadium this weekend is perhaps just a little awkward.

Whereas the White Sox play the Rangers in Texas on Saturday afternoon, the Archdiocese of Chicago shall be at Fee Subject celebrating the brand new chief of the Catholic Church — who was born and raised on town’s South Facet — with a Mass by Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich and different festivities.

Whereas the person as soon as often called Robert Prevost gained’t be there in particular person, he’ll seem in what occasion organizers describe as “a video message from Pope Leo XIV to the young people of the world.”

Leo may also be represented in mural type. The White Sox unveiled a graphic set up that includes his likeness on a concourse wall earlier than a Might 19 recreation towards the Seattle Mariners, lower than two weeks after Leo was chosen as the primary U.S.-born pope. He changed Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88.

The Chicago White Sox have commemorated the fandom of Pope Leo XIV with a graphic set up at Fee Subject.

(Nam Y. Huh / Related Press)

The graphic was put in subsequent to Part 140, the place Leo sat in Row 19, Seat 2 for Sport 1 of the 2005 World Sequence between the White Sox and Houston Astros. As exceptional as it’d sound, there may be footage from Fox’s nationwide broadcast of that Oct. 22, that reveals the person then-known as Father Bob within the stands on the stadium then-known as U.S. Mobile Subject.

Internet hosting a World Sequence recreation for the primary time since 1959, the White Sox led by two runs with one out within the prime of the ninth inning. Chicago nearer Bobby Jenks had simply thrown a 95-mph fastball previous Houston’s Adam Everett for an 0-1 depend and was getting ready for his subsequent pitch.

That’s when the digicam panned to a nervous-looking Father Bob, who seems to be carrying a staff jacket over a staff jersey.

Viewers by no means received to see the longer term pope’s response to what occurs subsequent, however he should have been ecstatic as Jenks strikes out Everett in two extra pitches for a 5-3 Chicago win. The White Sox would go on to comb the Astros for his or her first World Sequence win since 1917.

“That was his thing. He liked to get out and go to a game once in a while,” Louis Prevost advised the Chicago Tribune of his brother, the longer term pope. “Eat a hot dog. Have some pizza. Like any other guy in Chicago on the South Side.”

His favourite staff might have fallen on tougher instances since then — the White Sox are an American League-worst 23-45 and 20.5 video games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers within the Central Division — however Leo continues to be prepared to place his fandom on show for the world to see.

On Wednesday, he wore a White Sox hat alongside together with his conventional papal cassock whereas blessing newly married {couples} in St. Peter’s Sq. exterior the Vatican.

Kelly and Gary DeStefano, who dwell in Haverhill, Mass., and are Boston Pink Sox followers, gave him the hat. Kelly DeStefano advised Boston.com they had been simply making an attempt to get the brand new pope’s consideration.

“I just wanted to make sure everyone at home knew that we did not turn on our team,” she advised Boston.com. “It was all in joke and good fun.”

Chicago White Sox followers gown up like fellow White Sox fan Pope Leo XIV to observe a recreation towards the Cubs on Might 17 at Wrigley Subject.

(Paul Beaty / Related Press)

It labored, with Boston.com reporting that Leo gave the couple a good-natured ribbing as soon as he discovered the place they’re from.

“You’re going to get in trouble for this,” he advised them, in a video of the assembly.

“Don’t tell anyone in Massachusetts,” Kelly DeStefano replied.

Whereas Leo is perhaps just a little too busy to attend a recreation anytime quickly, White Sox govt vice chairman, chief income and advertising officer Brooks Boyer mentioned final month that the pope is welcome to return to Fee Subject at any time when he desires.

“He has an open invite to throw out a first pitch,” Boyer mentioned. “Heck, maybe we’ll let him get an at-bat.”