Pope Leo XIV still holds close ties to his homegrown roots in the city of Chicago where he was born and raised. One of the ways he does this is through his love of the MLB’s Chicago White Sox.

Leo XIV has been holding the office as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church for only a few months now, but he still remains supportive of the South Siders amidst their struggles.

In a recent video taken from what appears to be St. Peter’s Square, Leo XIV was seen greeting devout believers who gathered in the plaza.

One group of people – those recording the video – began to start chanting ‘White Sox, White Sox’ as the Pope came driving by.

As Leo XIV passed the chanting group, he joined in – with the Pope returning the chants.

The Pope – born Robert Prevost – retains close ties to the White Sox as well as his alma mater, Villanova University.

Last week, Pope Leo donned a White Sox hat as he greeted Vatican visitors, including a pair of newlyweds.

It’s unclear if the man and woman were from Chicago or how the hat materialized, but the struggling White Sox were all too happy to post some of the images online anyway.

‘.@Pontifex representing his favorite squad,’ read the White Sox post.

Fans from the Midwestern metropolis remain stunned to see a White Sox fan in the Vatican.

‘Even 3 months ago, you could’ve given me 1,000,000 to 1 odds and I never would’ve taken a bet that THE POPE WEARING A WHITE SOX HAT would happen,’ one wrote on X.

‘As a Chicago area native I could never have imagined a Chicago Pope,’ another added.

One fan remained so skeptical of the Pope’s White Sox allegiance they asked X’s AI tool: ‘@grok is this real?’

Grok then confirmed the authenticity of the photos.

Despite their favored status at the Vatican, the White Sox are in the midst of another disappointing season. Not only are they 23.5 games out of first in the American League Central at 23-50 entering Thursday, but the team’s leading hitter is Miguel Vargas at just .242. Luis Robert Jr., the team’s star centerfielder and most recognizable player, is batting just .190.

Pope Leo’s fandom has been a rare bright spot for the South Siders, who recently unveiled a tribute to their Holiest fan as the White Sox were on their way to a third-place finish.

Now, in section 140, Row 19, and Seat 2 at Rate Field on Chicago’s South Side, fans can find a graphic installation marking Pope Leo’s seat for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. Chicago would go on to win its first MLB crown since 1917 that year.

Footage from the game — Chicago’s 5-3 win over the visiting NL-champion Houston Astros — shows a younger Pope Leo in the crowd during his time as prior for the Order of Saint Augustine.

There had been some erroneous reporting after he was named Pope that he was actually a Cubs fan, but his brother John Prevost has since put that myth to rest.

‘He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from,’ Prevost told Chicago’s WGN TV.

‘He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan. I don’t know, maybe that clued in there and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where all that came from.

‘And all the aunts, our mom’s family was from the north side, so that’s why they were Cubs fans.’

The club is in the process of being sold to Justin Ishbia, the brother of Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia.

The team announced the deal last week. Ishbia will make capital infusions to the team as a limited partner in 2025 and 2026 in order to pay down existing club debt and support ongoing team operations.

Under the agreement, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has the option to sell controlling interest to Ishbia from 2029 to 2033, after which Ishbia can obtain a majority stake.