The Catholic Church has a new pope — Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago — who will be known as Pope Leo XIV and will be the first American pope in history, leading countless Catholics from his home country to celebrate, as well as speculate where his allegiances lie in terms of Chicago sports.
For context, Prevost was deemed Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, May 8, 2025, with the symbolic white smoke billowing out of the Sistine Chapel just after 6 p.m. local time that day. After the election, multiple individuals who are close to Prevost, including his two brothers, responded to the many questions about which Chicago baseball team he supports.
According to Fox News, Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Lawrence Sullivan commented on Prevost’s unique perspective on the world, which he said gives the new pope “a real hands-on knowledge of what it means to serve the poor and to help those who are in need,” adding that Prevost is “very familiar with the worldwide church.”
After making these statements, Sullivan was asked by another church leader to confirm who Prevost roots for in the Chicago sports world. Father Gregory Sakowicz said, “One burning question I have is the fact that the Pope, Leo the 14th, or the cardinal, then Robert Prevost, was born in Chicago on the South Side. Is he a Chicago White Sox fan?”
In response, Sullivan said that he did not know whether Leo was a White Sox fan or not, but confidently stated, “He’s a Cubs fan,” Leading many Chicagoans to celebrate. Likewise, Sakowicz said, “I heard he’s a Cubs fan. Well, God bless him, and God bless all the fans.”
However, speaking to NBC News, Robert’s brother, John, was quick to set the record straight. “He was never, ever a Cubs fan,” John said, contradicting some of the speculations that have arisen from Chicago Catholics that the new pope supports the team. He added, “Whoever said Cubs on the radio got it wrong. It’s Sox.”
In the same interview, Robert’s other brother, Louis, commented on the surreal experience of watching Prevost become pope.Louis said, “I’m almost speechless. It’s just mind-blowing that my brother was elected pope today.” He added, “We used to tease him about being pope when he was five or six years old.”
Following Leo XIV’s election, many world leaders expressed their congratulations and shared that they were praying for the new pope. According to Newsweek, President Trump celebrated that the Prevost was the first American in the papacy, writing, “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Watch Pope Leo’s brother confirm that he’s a Sox fan:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video