FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images
Earlier this year, an American was elected to the papacy for the very first time when Chicago native Robert Prevost was tapped to serve as the head of the Catholic Church. The man who is now known as Pope Leo XIV is also the first White Sox fan to hold that position, and he wasn’t afraid to chirp back at someone who yelled “Go Cubs!” while he was making his way through Vatican City.
There’s a certain mystique surrounding the men who earn the right to call themself “The Pope” to the point where it can be easy to forget they were really just normal people like you and me at one point before ascending to one of the most powerful positions on the planet.
That includes Pope Leo XIV, who was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago before embarking on the journey that led to him becoming the first person hailing from the United States to ascend to the Holy See following the death of Pope Francis earlier this year.
There was initially some debate concerning Pope Leo’s MLB fandom given his roots in the city that’s home to the White Sox and the Cubs, and we learned the former franchise had earned the right to claim the man who was in attendance at the World Series in 2005.
He may have traded The Windy City for Vatican City, but he’s still got white and black pumping through his veins based on an amazing interaction he had with a Cubs fan he encountered while riding the Popemobile near the Apostolic Palace he now calls home.
Pope Leo roasted a fan who yelled “Go Cubs!” while he was making his way through Vatican City
The White Sox seized on the opportunity to capitalize on their links to Pope Leo by holding a mass at Rate Field on June 14th where he made a virtual appearance by way of a message he recorded for the event.
He stressed the importance of peace in that address, but he apparently woke up and chose violence on Sunday based on the savage nature of a brief interaction he had with a Cubs fan following a mass he oversaw for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality on October 12th.
More than 30,000 people flocked to St. Peter’s Square for the celebration that ended with Pope Leo riding through the plaza. During the procession, he passed someone who yelled out “Go Cubs,” which led to the Supreme Pontiff saying ” Han perdido! They lost!” while referencing Chicago’s defeat at the hands of the Brewers in the NLDS.
Someone in the crowd: “Go Cubs!”
Pope Leo XIV: “Han perdido! They lost!”pic.twitter.com/3fLuV1eA0N
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) October 15, 2025
Plenty of people have earned the right to brag about kissing the pope’s ring, but I’m honestly jealous of the person who can spend the rest of their life talking about the time they got dragged by him in a drive-by.