Unearthed Photo Shows New Pope at White Sox World Series Game Back in 2005

AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

On Thursday, Robert Prevost became the world’s most famous Chicago White Sox fan after being elected pope.

The Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV is the first American to be pontiff. And despite earlier reports that he is a longtime Chicago Cubs fan, his brother explained that His Holiness is actually a follower of the White Sox.

“Whoever said Cubs on the radio got it wrong,” John Prevost told NBC News. “It’s Sox.”

And thanks to The Chicago Sun-Times, there’s photographic proof of Leo’s fandom:

Provided to the Chicago Sun-Times

The paper stated the photo was taken during a game in the 2005 World Series in Chicago against the Houston Astros. The White Sox swept the series for their first title since 1917.

Earlier in the day, ABC News anchors David Muir and Terry Moran mistakenly reported that Leo was a Cubs fan:

MUIR: You know, something you said struck me, that he was a Cubs fan from the South Side of Chicago, and yet you hear him, the Vatican described, for his quiet, humble way. That’s perhaps how he survived being a Cubs fan from the South Side.

MORAN: That’s a great point, David. And another thing that you know, because he’s a Cubs fan, he is well-acquainted with suffering in the sporting world. The Cubs didn’t win a World Series for 108 years. Any team can have a bad century. And he knows that. And hope springs eternal. They’re a contender this year, it looks like. And so maybe this is an auspicious sign for his ball club.

Unfortunately for Leo, the White Sox are heading for another atrocious season. At 10-28, the team is the second worst in the majors. Last year, the team went 41-121, setting the record for most losses in a season. In 2023, the team was slightly “better,” as the Sox went 61-101.

In a game last month, the White Sox managed to lose after the would-be tying runner pulled up lame while heading to home plate before being tagged out to end the game. Back in 2022, they ran themselves into the stupidest triple play in MLB history.