Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XVI, elected as first-ever American leader of the Catholic Church

The Windy City is notoriously split between White Sox and Cubs supporters, a baseball rivalry between the south and north sides.

Father Gregory Sakowicz, rector of Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral, said one burning question was whether the pontiff was a fellow fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, as he grew up near the team’s stadium on the city’s south side, or of their crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs.

“I heard he’s a Cubs fan,” he said.​ “Well, God Bless him.”

The Cubs themselves claimed Leo as one of their own, posting on their X account congratulations and a photo of the iconic Wrigley Field sign with the words: “Hey, Chicago. He’s a Cubs fan!”

“Not only would we welcome Pope Leo XIV to Wrigley Field, he could sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’” Cubs ​executive ​chairman Tom Ricketts said, referring to the song fans belt out during the middle of the seventh inning.

However, local Chicago television station WGN9 interviewed the pope’s brother, John Prevost, who cleared up the matter: Pope Leo is a fan of the White Sox, he said.

Reuters