There’s a possibility that Pope Leo XIV — formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost — offered a pointed gesture or a priestly quip to Astros legends Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio during the 2005 World Series. At the time, he was just a devoted White Sox fan cheering from his hometown of Chicago as the team clinched the title.
After his election to the papacy, photos and footage of Prevost attending that World Series game quickly went viral, offering a rare glimpse into the everyday American life of the man who would eventually lead the Catholic Church.
Pope Leo XIV is the first pontiff hailing from both the United States and North America. But two decades ago, he was just another South Side fan with a flip phone in hand, caught on camera during one of the biggest moments in White Sox history.
“The Pope was really on the TV during the White Sox World Series in 2005 ” — @SixPointSports (May 9, 2025)
His brother, speaking to Chicago’s WGN TV, cleared up some confusion about the family’s baseball loyalties:
“He was never a Cubs fan, not even once. Our mom rooted for the Cubs, maybe that’s where people got mixed up. Dad was a Cardinals fan. Most of our aunts were Cubs fans because they lived on the North Side.”
The Pope’s now-famous White Sox allegiance even prompted a recent viral moment in which he posed for a photo wearing a black Sox cap — setting social media ablaze with jokes about how the leader of the Catholic Church might possess detailed knowledge of the team’s struggles and players.
“Can’t get over the fact that the Pope knows who Andrew Benintendi is,” one tweet read.
“Sometimes I think about how the Pope was probably really disappointed in Eloy Jimenez’s development,” said another.
The White Sox might need more than divine intervention at this point. After a historically bad 2024 campaign that ended with a record-setting 121 losses, they currently sit at the bottom of the AL Central.