The pontiff is a longtime fan of the Chicago team
Credit: Father Tom McCarthy; whitesox/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Pope Leo XIV received a special White Sox-themed “Pope Hat”
- The extra special accessory was given out during a game earlier this month
- The pontiff is famously a longtime White Sox fan
Pope Leo XIV is rocking some new papal headgear with a quintessentially Chicago twist!
On Aug. 27, the pope — an Illinois native who grew up rooting for the Chicago White Sox — got a unique gift from his favorite baseball team: a White Sox-themed “Pope Hat,” which was given out at a recent game.
“The White Sox Pope Hat has officially landed at the Vatican,” the team captioned a post that showed Leo smiling while holding his new extra special accessory.
Father Tom McCarthy, a fellow Chicago native, was the one to present the special merch to the head of the Catholic church.
Credit: whitesox/Instagram
The White Sox first shared their intention to honor the pontiff with a special hat in April.
Fans who purchased a special package for their Aug. 11 game not only got their own papal miter, they also got to sit in a “designated area” to cheer on the Sox as they faced off against the Cincinnati Reds (a game the home team sadly did not win.)
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Leo, the first American pope, is a longtime White Sox fan, even wearing a White Sox hat during an appearance at the Vatican.
When word made it back to the team clubhouse last year, manager Will Venable told reporters that it was “great” to see, according to MLB.com.
“I love the support,” he added.
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Leo was also gifted the baseball from the final out in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series by the team’s former catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, per The Athletic.
Of course, the pope himself famously attended that game — although at the time, he was just Robert Prevost— and not only did his team win the game, they went on to win the championship series against the Houston Astros.
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