White Sox honor Pope Leo XIV with tribute to longtime fan roots

A White Sox greeting sent to Rome drew a thumbs-up from Pope Leo XIV, keeping the South Side’s unusual connection to the first American pope in the spotlight well after his election. The exchange added a fresh beat to a story that began with Robert Prevost, the Chicago-born churchman elected pope on May 8, 2025, and quickly identified as a longtime White Sox fan.

That local identity has proved durable because it is rooted in a specific baseball moment. Prevost attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and Astros, and his brother John Prevost later said he was “never, ever, a Cubs fan” and was always a Sox fan. In a city where baseball loyalty can function like a neighborhood credential, that line did as much to define the new pontiff’s Chicago résumé as any of the Vatican ceremony.

The White Sox embraced the storyline in May 2025 by unveiling a graphic installation in Section 140 at Rate Field, marking the seat where Prevost sat for that World Series game. The team used the moment to fold papal symbolism into one of the park’s most familiar sections, transforming an ordinary stadium seat into a kind of civic landmark. Coverage that month also said the club planned pope-themed hats, a sign that the franchise understood the marketing value of the moment as well as the sentiment behind it.

The celebration moved beyond a single tribute. A June 2025 White Sox event tied to Pope Leo XIV was reported as sold out, showing how quickly the pope’s South Side link became something fans could consume, wear and gather around. That crossover carried an easy Chicago logic: a global religious figure was being recast through a local sports lens, with Rate Field serving as both shrine and souvenir shop.

The result has been more than a feel-good baseball anecdote. The White Sox have helped turn Leo XIV into a hometown symbol, while his papacy has given the franchise a rare cultural asset that reaches far beyond the standings. In March 2026, that feedback loop was still going, when a White Sox greeting in Rome got the pope’s thumbs-up back.