The pope has been spotted in sportswear — and this time it isn’t AI.
Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and the first American pope, wore a White Sox baseball cap during a public appearance at the Vatican, making him the first pope to make such a casual pairing with his white cassocks. Leo, born Robert Provost, was photographed on Wednesday smiling in the cap during his weekly general audience.
During the appearance, he met with newly wedded couples — breaking both traditional papal and wedding attire codes.
Leo’s love for the sport was noted immediately upon his election on May 8, but the question remained: Cubs or White Sox? His brother, John, quickly spoke to the press to confirm his White Sox allegiance — and footage has even revealed his attendance at the 2005 World Series, which broke the team’s 88-year drought when they won the title.
His devotion to the White Sox was just one of many aspects of Pope Leo’s life that quickly pieced together an image of a pontiff-next-door.
After he was elected, following two days of secretive deliberation, the memes came swiftly. He was dubbed “Da Pope” by the Chicago Sun-Times and quickly pictured in edited or AI images posing with Chicago-style hot dogs and bottles of Jeppson’s Malört — the city’s beloved gasoline-like liquor.
Pope Leo in liturgical vestments on June 9. Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Graduates of Villanova University, where he attended undergraduate school, were also eager to claim him, sharing AI images of Leo in full Villanova garb.
It’s not the first time a pope has become the fervid subject of memes; his predecessor, Pope Francis I, famously went viral in an AI-generated image of the pontiff outfitted in a Balenciaga-coded white puffer jacket in 2023.
Though Francis’ most iconic sartorial moment wasn’t real, his tenure saw broader enthusiasm for evidence of a more contemporary and relaxed papal authority.
A new mural by street artist TVBoy depicts Pope Leo XIV as a Chicago Bulls fan. Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto/Getty Images
The Argentinian pope departed from archaic and ornate accessories favored by Pope Benedict XVI — including his bright red leather loafers — opting for humble, simple robes and sensible black shoes with an orthopedic sole.
In response, The Cut declared Francis the world’s “normcore pope” in 2015, and he was also honored by Esquire as 2013’s “Best-Dressed Man.” And though he never donned a jersey (in public), Francis was also a noted sports fan with a love for soccer, specifically his hometown club, San Lorenzo de Almagro.
A month in, Pope Leo’s own style has flown under the radar until now, but the statement-making look of the White Sox cap could be a sign of things to come.
A new mural in Rome of the pontiff in a twist on the Chicago Bulls jersey may be a harbinger — and, after all, is a classic papal shade of red.
SOURCE: CNN
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