On Thursday, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the first American pope in history. Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is a Chicago native.
Prevost was born on September 14th, 1955 at Mercy Hospital in Chicago. As a child, Prevost was an altar boy at St. Mary of the Assumption Church on the South Side. When he returned to Chicago as an adult, he taught physics and math at St. Rita of Cascia High School.
The Chicago roots run deep for Pope Leo XIV. Logically, the internet began wondering: Was the first American pope in history a Cubs or a White Sox fan?
Pope Leo XIV is a White Sox fan
It was not long before the Chicago Cubs themselves claimed Pope Leo XIV as one of them. "Hey, Chicago, he's a Cubs fan!" was written on the famous marquee outside Wrigley Field and then posted to the official Cubs X.com account.
Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV! pic.twitter.com/s02yDDegQd
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 8, 2025
But the Cubs may have spoken too soon. In an interview conducted by WGN's Dana Rebik, Prevost's brother gave the public the answer they were looking for: The new pope is a Chicago White Sox fan and has always been a White Sox fan.
"He was never ever a Cubs fan. I don't know where that came from,. He was always a Sox fan," his brother said in the video released by WGN.
Obviously the biggest question surrounding Chicago native Robert Prevost now that he is Pope Leo XIV: Cubs or White Sox? His brother gave the definitive answer to @WGNNews' @DanaRebikWGN pic.twitter.com/DvMiGZ0qHY
— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) May 8, 2025
The North Side and South Side fighting over the loyalty of the new pope is hilariously and perfectly Chicago. This is front page news because...of course it is. It's Chicago.
Chalk this one up as a win for White Sox fans everywhere. We don't get too many of those anymore.