Hats off to Pope Leo XIV for bringing a touch of Chicago to Vatican City.
The newly installed pope is a devout fan of the Chicago White Sox. In fact, long before he was appointed the leader of the Catholic Church, he was filmed in the crowd of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox won.
On Wednesday, the pope proved his faith runs deep during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
On top of his traditional white skull cap, the pontiff wore a black baseball hat repping his hometown team.
Not surprisingly, the White Sox trumpeted the sartorial shout-out on social media.
“.@Pontifex representing his favorite squad,” the post read.
Although the pope hasn’t publicly commented on his hat, MLB.com journalist Jason Foster speculated it was a hat tip to Wednesday’s away game against the Houston Astros, a rematch of the 2005 Series.
But he won’t be able to attend in person.
Although Rate Field, where the White Sox play, is hosting a rally this weekend, the pope won’t be there, instead sending a video message from Rome.
However, the White Sox are praying for the day when he visits in person.
Back in May, White Sox Executive Vice President Brooks Boyer made it clear the pope “has an open invite to throw out a first pitch,” and added, “Heck, maybe we’ll let him get an at-bat.”
Of course, people on social media pontificated about the pontiff’s choice of hat ― and how his fandom might help the Sox, who currently have a 23-44 record.
CORRECTION: This story has been amended to note that the pope will not be attending the White Sox-Astros game in person.
