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Photo surfaces of Pope Leo XIV attending World Series in 2005

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated May 9, 2025 12:14 AM ET

Pope Leo XIV continues to pass the vibe check.

The Chicago Sun-Times published an awesome old photo on Thursday of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, OSA, who was officially elected as the new leader of the Catholic Church earlier in the day and chose the papal name Leo XIV, attending the World Series. Leo XIV, a native of Chicago, Illinois, as well as the first American-born pope, was in the stands for the 2005 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros at the then-U.S. Cellular Field.

The new pope actually has several surprising connections to the sports world. You can see the photo documenting the moment below (complete with Leo XIV on an old-school flip phone).

Pope Leo captured at the 2005 World Series vs. the Astros

(via @Suntimes) pic.twitter.com/LAEQrN1fUD
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 9, 2025

The photo was part of a feature by the Sun-Times on Leo XIV’s close ties to his birthplace of Chicago. You can read the feature in full here.

With Leo XIV’s ascension to the papacy, much has been made of his well-documented Chicago sports fandom. The Chicago Cubs even attempted to claim Leo XIV as a fan upon the news of his election (though that was quickly refuted in embarrassing fashion).

Now we also have photographic proof that Leo XIV is in fact a White Sox fan and was even on hand as they defeated the Astros in a four-game sweep during the 2005 World Series. That marks the most recent World Series championship by the White Sox to date and (interestingly enough) their most recent victory in any playoff series.

Sports fans had a lot of great reactions to the news of Leo XIV’s election. Now it appears that his connections to the sports world run even deeper than we thought.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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