Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who on Thursday was elected pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, has been a longtime fan of one of his two hometown baseball franchises.
Initially, it appeared that both Chicago teams were claiming Leo as their own, fueling a cross-town beef - until the pope's brother weighed in - leaving the Cubs to even be community-noted on X.
Speaking to local television station WGN, John Prevost made it abundantly clear where Leo's sports allegiances lie.
"Yeah, he was never, ever a Cubs fan, so I don't know where that came from," John Prevost told the station, referring to the other Chicago team in Major League Baseball. "He was always a Sox fan."
Prevost also revealed some members of the family have been divided in their support.
"Our mother was a Cubs fan... and our dad was a (St. Louis) Cardinals fan," he said. "And all the aunts, our mom's family, was from north side, so that's why they were fans" of the Cubs, which are headquartered in that part of town.
His brother? "He rooted for the White Sox."
In one respect, Leo is already following in the footsteps of his papal predecessor, Francis, the first Argentine pope, who was known for being a lifelong fan of his beloved local San Lorenzo football club in Buenos Aires.
The White Sox won the World Series in 2005, ending an 88-year drought between their last two Major League Baseball championship titles.
Pope Leo XIV isn't the only massive figurehead to be a Chicago White Sox fan - former United States President Barack Obama is also a fan of the team.
