Pope Leo XIV wasn’t going to let a Chicago Cubs fan troll him in Vatican City. Alberto Pizzoli / Getty Images
Even the grandeur of the papacy apparently hasn’t been enough to prevent Pope Leo XIV from keeping up on baseball’s postseason.
The American-born pope, whose Chicago roots made him a lifelong fan of his hometown White Sox, didn’t hesitate to go up and in when a parade attendee in Vatican City chided the passing pontiff by yelling “Go Cubs!”
From atop the Popemobile, the pope didn’t miss a beat in his retort, with the same message delivered in Spanish and English: “Han perdido! They lost!”
Perhaps the Cubs would still be playing if they could bring the heat like the pope. Instead, they lost in the National League Division Series to the Milwaukee Brewers, though his White Sox endured another lost season, finishing with the worst record in the American League at 60-102.
That’s our Pope 🗣️
(🎥: Vatican Media)
pic.twitter.com/w3fUWXw8DL— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 15, 2025
Still, the short video clip of the interaction, which was captured by Vatican Media on Wednesday, added yet another layer to the pope’s connection to baseball. In 2005, he attended Game 1 of the World Series, in which the White Sox beat the Houston Astros 5-3 en route to a four-game sweep. In May, the White Sox unveiled a graphic installation featuring his image at Rate Field near the section where he sat for that game.
He was also spotted in June at the Vatican wearing a ’47 branded White Sox cap, along with his white papal cassock. A Massachusetts couple, who said they were Boston Red Sox fans, gave him the hat.
The team has also embraced Pope Leo XIV, releasing a “Pope Leo 14” jersey.
(Photo: Alberto Pizzoli / AFP via Getty Images)
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