Pope Leo XIV has plenty of mitres, but none are quite like his newest: it’s an official “Pope Hat” made by the Chicago White Sox.
The pontiff received the hat at the Vatican from Fr Tom McCarthy, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Chicago White Sox posted a picture of the two holding the hat on X on August 27.
Pope Leo has been a fan of the Chicago White Sox since his childhood. He attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series and was later gifted the ball from the final out of that game by former player A.J. Pierzynski.
The White Sox celebrated their most famous fan on August 11, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Every attendee was given a “Pope Hat” as a gift and there were other in-game promotions inspired by the city’s Catholic culture, including an exchange of the “sign of peace” between innings.
Pope Leo actually watched the game, Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, recently told local media after his trip to Rome.
Krishnamoorthi had an audience with Pope Leo on August 12, the day after the game.
“He immediately told me that the night before, the White Sox had lost, despite the fact that it was Pope Leo Day at Rate Field,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Krishnamoorthi said he was taken aback that the Pope “was following the White Sox so religiously, pun intended”.
“He’s got this huge entourage, and he’s in his beautiful vestments, white vestments, And the first thing he said to me was ‘Can you believe it? The Sox lost last night, and it was Pope Leo Day,’” said Krishnamoorthi. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’”
The White Sox themselves were taken by surprise at the popularity of “Pope Hat” night. When the game’s promotion was initially announced in April, only a limited number of fans would receive the hats – as is typical for stadium giveaways. The promotion was expanded to include all fans following “massive demand”, said the White Sox.
“The fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited-quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,” said Brooks Boyer, White Sox chief revenue and marketing officer, in a statement in April.
“We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed,” he added.
