In a memorable ballpark moment during the fifth inning of the Chicago White Sox game against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 11, thousands of fans at Rate Field joined together for an impromptu “sign of peace,” sharing handshakes, high-fives, and blessings.
The moment, as it happened, took place during “Pope Night” — an evening the White Sox hosted to honor notable fan and Chicago native, Pope Leo XIV.
Among the festivities, Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, threw out the first pitch, and fans were given white-and-black novelty miters (page 19).
The White Sox collaborated with a local Catholic priest to put the evening together, and in the end, it drew about 40,000 people to the ballpark on a Tuesday night. By all accounts the evening was a success that far exceeded expectations.
More than a year into Pope Leo’s papacy, it’s impossible not to notice the connection between the first American pope and America’s Pastime, and the evangelizer it’s become. At the very least, as on Aug. 11, the connection has brought thousands of people together and sparked conversations that celebrate the faith.
Even before, there was “Pope Night” in May 2025, when the White Sox installed a mural at the stadium to honor Pope Leo. In June 2025, the Holy Father adorned a White Sox hat while meeting newlywed couples in St. Peter’s Square.
This May, Pope Leo received and posed for a photo at the Vatican with a signed Paul Konerko jersey, the first baseman for the 2005 World Series champion White Sox.
And in June, former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski gifted Pope Leo the baseball from the final out of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, which the Holy Father famously attended.
There was also the moment earlier this year when Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson gifted Pope Leo a Chicago Cubs hat and jersey on his visit to the Vatican — a light-hearted way of recognizing the White Sox cross-town rival.
Speaking about their interaction, Johnson touched on the impact of Pope Leo’s connection to baseball and what the Holy Father ultimately hopes for.
“When we sat down before we took the group photo, [Pope Leo] said he was grateful that we’re all coming together, uniting as Cubs fans, Sox fans,” Johnson recalled.
As Pope Leo has so often advocated for peace and sought to bring people together, he has done just that through his lifelong fandom of the Chicago White Sox. And while there’s no hard data on the subject, it’s hard to believe that it hasn’t gotten people to return to the faith or consider becoming Catholic for the first time.
Now, considering the impact of Pope Leo’s White Sox fandom when he’s thousands of miles away, focused on issues more pressing than the American League Central standings (of which the White Sox stand on top of as of Aug. 18), imagine the impact if the Holy Father attended a Chicago White Sox game.
Perhaps it’s unlikely, but Pope Leo recently said he hopes to visit the United States within a “couple of years,” and the White Sox have extended him an open invitation (to attend a game and throw out the first pitch), so who knows what the future will hold.
It would, though, be a historic moment of evangelization for the Church in the United States, especially given the ways Pope Leo’s connection to America’s Pastime has already brought people together to celebrate the faith.