POPE LEO XIV DURING THE WEEKLY GENERAL AUDIENCE AT THE VATICAN on October 14, 2025. IMAGO / Catholicpressphoto

Pope Leo XIV Roasts Chicago Cubs With Brutal 2-Word Message

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 4:03 PM ET

Arguably, one of the most unique baseball fans in the world is Pope Leo XIV, who was elected to the papacy on May 8, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV is an unprecedented pope in many regards. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States, as well as the first from North America, the first to hold U.S citizenship, and the first born after World War II ended.

However, upon Leo XIV becoming the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, the baseball community was more focused on his MLB team rather than his religious allegiance.

When news broke that the new pope hailed from Chicago, the burning question among baseball fans was whether he was a supporter of the Cubs or White Sox. And it didn't take Leo XIV long to reveal his loyalties, as he was seen wearing a White Sox hat at the Vatican in June.

IMAGO / SOPA Images

Pope Leo XIV Cooks Cubs After NLDS Defeat

While those from Chicago's North Side can't blame Pope Leo XIV for supporting the White Sox, given that he was born and raised on the South Side of town, this doesn't mean that he had to throw shade at the Cubs after they came up short against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2025 NLDS.

But that's precisely what the pope did when making the rounds around the Vatican on October 15. While the pope was smiling and waving to his audience, cameras caught someone close by yelling, "Go Cubs!" per a video from the Vatican Media.

The pope acknowledges the fan (who is off camera before saying, "They lost!” while driving away.

The clip of Pope Leo XIV cooking the Cubs in this way has gone viral and has been reposted on multiple social media channels. Even the White Sox couldn't help themselves, as they reposted a video of the interaction and wrote, "That's our Pope ️".

That's our Pope ️

(: Vatican Media)
pic.twitter.com/w3fUWXw8DL
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 15, 2025

Perhaps the pope has been too busy to keep tabs on where the White Sox finished the 2025 season, as they were bottom-dwellers in the AL Central for the second straight year and finished their campaign with a 60-102 record.

In other words, Pope Leo XIV has no right to be talking about the Cubs losing.

Of course, this is all in good fun. Team loyalties aside, it's just awesome for baseball fans to know that the head of the Catholic Church can talk shop about America's pastime and probably has an opinion on the best place to get a hot dog in Chicago.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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