Pope Leo XIV brings hope to Chicago sports fans, and the Knicks for their Villanova ties

The sports loyalties of Pope Leo XIV became a topic of conversation almost as soon as the white smoke emerged from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

Elected on Thursday, Robert Prevost is the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church. The Chicago-born missionary, who took the name Leo XIV, also attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1977.

Chicago’s two baseball teams were front and center as sports fans reacted to the news.

It was initially reported that the new pope was a Cubs fan. The team congratulated Pope Leo XIV in a post on X that had a picture of Wrigley Field’s iconic marquee with the message: HEY, CHICAGO. HE’S A CUBS FAN!

But his brother, John Prevost, set the record straight in an interview with WGN-TV. The pope is a White Sox fan.

“He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,” John said, adding that the confusion might stem from the fact their mother’s side of the family were North Siders and Cubs fans.

The White Sox posted a clip from the brother’s WGN interview on X, along with a picture of the Rate Field videoboard with the message: HEY CHICAGO, HE’S A SOX FAN! The post read “Well, would you look at that… Congratulations to Chicago’s own Pope Leo XIV.”

“Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields,” the White Sox said in a media statement. “Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark.”

The TV interview had White Sox fans wondering about the pope’s ability to convince owner Jerry Reinsdorf to sell the last-place team.

Long-suffering Bears fans weighed in, too.

One remarked on X that Chicago developed a pope before the Bears developed a quarterback. Another said the Bears now have a direct line to God. And another said the Bears no longer will be on the wrong side of Hail Marys, a reference to Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ 52-yard Hail Mary completion to Noah Brown to beat the Bears in October.

“Daaaaaa Pope,” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams posted on X on Thursday night.

The election of the new pope coincides with a trio of former Villanova players leading the New York Knicks on an NBA playoff run. It didn’t take long for a photoshopped picture of the four of them together to show up on social media.

The Knicks erased 20-point deficits in winning Games 1 and 2 against the defending champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Now fans are praying the combination of the Villanova guys and the new pope can help the team to its first NBA title since 1973.

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