As soon as news broke that Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV had been elected, questions about his looming papacy began to swirl.
In addition to critically important questions over his views on a host of issues that he’ll be asked to weigh in on as the new pope, there was one question that also begged to be asked given his ties to the Windy City.
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WATCH HERECubs or White Sox? The question set off a massive search for the answer, and now the answer has been revealed.
Multiple media outlets had earlier reported the new pope’s baseball allegiance was with the North Siders, despite his South Side roots.
Sen. Dick Durbin told CNN’s Manu Raju that the new Pope is a “Cubs fan,” and ABC News also reported that the Holy See’s loyalty lies with the North Siders.
The Cubs reacted to the news on social media:
Chicago Cubs
However, NBC Chicago's Christian Farr spoke to John Prevost, the Pope's brother, who lives in suburban New Lenox.
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SIGN UP Contrary to the earlier reports, Prevost said that his brother is actually a White Sox fan, with his parents having split loyalty between the Cubs and Cardinals.
NBC News has also now confirmed from a Vatican spokesperson that the Pope roots for the South Siders.
The White Sox issued a statement inviting the new Pope to Rate Field.
"Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields," the team said. "Some things are bigger than baseball, but in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripe White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat is already on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark."
The Cubs also reached out to the new pope to invite him to Wrigley Field, with Chairman Tom Ricketts doing the honors in a statement issued Thursday.
“Not only would we welcome Pope Leo XIV to Wrigley Field, he could sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' or, since three of his predecessors visited Yankee Stadium, including Pope Paul VI who delivered the 1965 'Sermon on the Mound,' we would invite the Pontiff to do the same at the Friendly Confines," he said in the statement.
Pope Leo XIV’s ties to the Chicago area run deep. He was born in the city, and studied at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago, receiving a master’s degree in theology from the institution.
According to the CTU, he was elected to a leadership position in the Augustinian province of “Mother of Good Counsel” in Olympia Fields. He was elected provincial prior of the same province in Chicago in 1999, and was named the Prior General of the Augustinians in 2001, serving in that role until 2014.
Pope Francis appointed him to a leadership role in the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru in 2015, and he was named Cardinal Prevost as prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops in 2023, according to his biography.
