The Chicago White Sox, for a few brief moments, had hope.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, had just been named the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. And there came the quick news: This was the first pope from the United States. He’s a Chicago native.
Is he a Cubs or White Sox fan?
Well, given how much luck the White Sox have these days, the answer felt like a foregone conclusion.
Pope Leo XIV is a Cubs fan.
UPDATE: A new interview with the new pope’s brother suggests initial reports were wrong and that he’s actually a White Sox fan.
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
MORE: Why Knicks fans are pumped about the pope announcement
The Cubs for a long, long time looked like a team in need of divine intervention. They got it in 2016 with a crucial Game 7 rain delay that sent them toward their first World Series title in more than a century.
The White Sox are now the team in need of God’s help.
They had 121 losses in 2024, the most in a season in MLB history.
This season, they’ve started 10-27, which is actually a slightly better winning pace than last year, believe it or not.
It’s going to be a long road back from the basement for the ChiSox.
Meanwhile, Cubs fans are hoping their hot start can run all the way to the World Series with the new pontiff a fan of the blue and red.
Some say sports is religion. It certainly is for Chicago baseball fans… Well, maybe not so much anymore for the White Sox, who know suffering but not much else.
MORE: Bears, Lions get key rivalry update from pope announcement
