Chicago Mayor to give Pope Leo, the most famous White Sox fan in the world, a Cubs hat

Jun 14, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, walks off the field during the Archdiocese of ChicagoÕs Catholic mass as it concludes at Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Chicago White Sox will face off against the Chicago Cubs in the Crosstown Classic series this weekend for a battle of supremacy in the Windy City. Ahead of the matchup between pennant hopefuls, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson revealed some interesting plans for when he meets wth Pope Leo XIV in Rome later this month.

Pope Leo is from Chicago and is noted as being a die-hard White Sox fan, but Mayor Johnson has every intention of giving him some Cubs apparel.

“I’ll probably bring him a Cubs hat,” Johnson, a Cubs fan, told Block Club on Thursday. “I don’t know if he’ll wear it, but I’ll bless it nonetheless.”

“If his Sox keep playing this well, though, I’m going to ask him to bless our guys on the North Side,” Johnson said. “And then, of course, we’re going to pray for potentially a Cubs-White Sox World Series.”

Leaning in

The White Sox organization is well aware that the Pope is a fan of the team and will be giving away Pope-themed hats to fans at the ballpark on August 11.

“The fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited-quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,” said Brooks Boyer, White Sox chief revenue and marketing officer, in a statement. “We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed.”