Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, made headlines Wednesday by pairing his traditional white cassock with an unexpected accessory: a Chicago White Sox baseball cap. The casual addition during his weekly general audience marked a departure from papal dress norms and underscored his well-documented love for the sport.
Born Robert Provost in Chicago, the pope was photographed smiling in the cap while greeting newlywed couples at the Vatican—a gesture that defied both papal and wedding attire conventions. His affinity for baseball had been widely speculated since his election on May 8, but his brother, John Provost, swiftly confirmed Leo’s loyalty to the White Sox. Archives later revealed the pope attended the team’s 2005 World Series victory, which ended an 88-year championship drought.
The moment cemented Leo’s reputation as an approachable, modern leader. Dubbed “Da Pope” by the Chicago Sun-Times, he became an instant meme icon, with AI-generated images circulating of him holding Chicago-style hot dogs and Jeppson’s Malört, the city’s notoriously bitter liqueur. Alumni of Villanova University, his alma mater, also joined in, sharing doctored photos of him in school regalia.
While Leo’s sartorial choice is unprecedented, it follows a broader trend of relaxed papal imagery. His predecessor, Pope Francis I, famously inspired a viral AI-generated photo in 2023 depicting him in a Balenciaga-style puffer jacket. Though fabricated, the image resonated with Francis’ real-world rejection of ornate vestments in favor of simplicity—earning him titles like Esquire’s “Best-Dressed Man” in 2013 and The Cut’s “normcore pope” in 2015. A lifelong soccer fan, Francis openly supported his hometown club, San Lorenzo de Almagro, though he never wore its jersey publicly.
Pope Leo’s White Sox cap may signal more unconventional style ahead. A new mural in Rome, depicting him in a Chicago Bulls-inspired jersey (albeit in papal red), hints at a pontiff unafraid to blend tradition with personal flair. As his papacy unfolds, the world watches to see how far this Chicago-born pope will redefine the Vatican’s wardrobe—one hometown homage at a time.
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