CHICAGO – From the South Side to the Vatican, the Chicago White Sox have unveiled new artwork honoring Pope Leo XIV.

What we know:

Fans attending Monday night’s game will get the first look at a brand-new art installation honoring the South Side’s very own, Pope Leo, who is, despite early reports, a White Sox fan.

In 2005, Pope Leo cheered on the team in Game One of the World Series at Rate Field in Bridgeport.

In the hours after he was elected pontiff, video footage surfaced confirming his attendance. He sat in Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2, with a family friend, the late Ed Schmit.

The original blue chair has since been replaced following ballpark renovations, but the seat number still exists.

On Monday afternoon, the White Sox organization unveiled a Pope Leo jersey and graphic installation to honor the new head of the Catholic Church.

What they’re saying:

Brooks Bayer with the White Sox says he never imagined the day the team would have support from the Vatican.

“I just never thought I’d see it in my lifetime, a North American pope. Let alone a White Sox fan from the South Side of Chicago that is among us. He’s real! The pope is always someone who is on such a high level for us in the United States, if you got a glimpse of him, it was magical. These people know him on a personal basis and it’s pretty amazing. And you thought when the sitting president was the White Sox fan, when President Obama was a White Sox fan, that it probably can’t get much higher than that. These guys brought us the pope,” said Boyer, chief revenue & marketing officer for the White Sox.

The Source: FOX 32’s Kasey Chronis reported on this story.