Even though I’m far from a practicing Catholic, fourteen years of Catholic schooling doesn’t leave your system easily. Add twenty-three years of living in the Chicago area, and I just couldn’t stop myself from pumping my fist when the white smoke signaled the selection of not only the first American pope but a Chicagoan.
As facts about the new pope began to flood the news cycle, an important question rose to the top of headlines.
Is Pope Leo XIV a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan?
While the Chicago native embarked on his new pontiff duties, people scoured the web to find the answer to this crucial question.
A tweet seemed to prove Pope Leo XIV’s loyalties. On May 8, the official Chicago Cubs account celebrated his new position with this tweet, showing a picture of Wrigley Field’s sign with the words: “Hey, Chicago. He’s a Cubs fan!”
But Wrigleyville’s celebrations were short lived, as Pope Leo XIV’s older brother confirmed with the media that his brother has always been a Sox fan. This prompted a gloating tweet from the White Sox account, using their own stadium sign to proclaim the pope’s correct allegiance.
It’s funny to think about, especially if you’re familiar with Chicagoans’ militant allegiance to their baseball teams. And if you type in “Pope Leo XIV cubs or sox” into your search engine, you’ll be greeted by the unnecessarily intense headline: “Pope Leo XIV’s brother settles crucial Chicago debate: Is the pontiff a White Sox or Cubs fan?”
I understand the appeal in discovering which Chicago team Pope Leo XIV is tied to. It’s a way for us to connect with a figure of worldwide fame. In his first message, Pope Leo XIV spoke in fluent Italian to a massive crowd in St. Peter’s square, and this same man has roots in the Chicago suburbs. Knowing that a man who’s well on his way to becoming a household name internationally loves the same baseball team as you has to be a good feeling. Condolences to my Cubs-loving family.
I would use the word “crucial” to describe a lot of American events right now, but I wouldn’t connect that word to the question of which Chicago team the new pontiff supports.
This is a very weird time to welcome the first American pope. Our country’s popularity is plummeting, the economy is a mess, American foreign policy is in the gutter, and many scholars agree that the U.S. government is sliding into authoritarianism.
Obviously, the pope is not a political figure, but it’s indisputable that the Pope’s opinion on global policies and political events hold some sway. When Pope Francis criticized certain aspects of market capitalism or offered a different, more radical Catholic perspective LGBTQ+ individuals (though his record on LGBTQIA+ issues is far from perfect), people around the world listened. News outlets chronicled these moments.
Like his predecessor, Pope XIV’s words, beliefs, and actions will be broadcasted on a global scale, and Catholics and non-Catholics alike will pay attention. And this is a fact he’s aware of. In his first speech, Pope Leo XIV called for “no more war,” and he referenced the Russia-Ukraine war and the atrocities Israel is committing in Gaza.
The Pope is not just a leader of the Catholic Church, but someone with a microphone that reaches almost every corner of the world. We are living in dire times, in a country that ignores the suffering of others and where politicians get off scot-free for stripping individuals of their human rights and civil liberties. Everyone with a voice should be shouting, and people with a platform need to shout as much and as loudly as possible.
The first American pope has a history of being critical of Trump’s awful immigration policies, so for me, this is the crucial issue I am interested in. As funny as the Chicago Cubs’ false victory of the pope’s allegiances was, I hope that more people press the Pope to use his platform to call out his president’s unconstitutional policies, his rising fascism, and his never ending stream of hate and scapegoating.
Like the United States, the Catholic Church is a flawed entity with a corrupt, checkered past and present. But we can’t improve without calling out this corruption and correcting it.
With this in mind, I hope that Pope Leo XIV uses his new platform and milestone as the first American pope to share his loyalties with those suffering under corrupt systems of power.
Liana Hirner graduated from Calvin in 2024 with a bachelor’s in writing. She currently lives in her hometown of Aurora, Illinois and works full-time in a warehouse filled with books waiting to be sorted. Writing is her first love, followed swiftly by lattes and dark chocolate.
