Is Pope Leo XIV a baseball fan?

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and is the first Pope born in North America. Pope Leo XIV is a member of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA).

In a press release, the Midwest Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel stated that "his election marks a moment of profound significance."

"Pope Leo XIV is a man of deep integrity, a true listener, and a companion to those on the margins of society," said Prior Provincial Very Rev. Anthony B. Pizzo, OSA. "We see him as a bridge-builder, rooted in the spirit of St. Augustine, walking forward with the whole Church as a companion on the journey. We are honoured that he is one of our own, a brother formed in the restless heart of the Augustinian Order."

Baseball fans worldwide started wondering if an American Pope would be a baseball fan.

After rumours spread that the Pope had been a Chicago Cubs fan, his older brother, John Prevost, denied the leak, originated by a club's tweet.

"He was never a Cubs' fan, he was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cub."

The Chicago Sun-Times later published a photo of Robert Francis Prevost attending the 2005 World Series at US Cellular Field in Chicago. The future pontiff, at the time simply Father Bob, is pictured standing and smiling while speaking on the phone. The man wearing a White Sox hat is a lifelong friend, the late Ed Schmit.

The game could be the series opener on October 22 or game two on October 23. The White Sox won both games (5-3 and 7-6). They swept the series at Minute Maid Park in Houston with a 7-5 and 14-inning win in game three and a 1-0 triumph in the rubber match.

Pope Leo XIV's family lived in a south Chicago suburb named Dolton. His father, Louis Marius Prevost, was born to a family of French immigrants. He became a United States Navy veteran of World War II. His mother, Mildred (née Martínez), was the daughter of Haiti-born Joseph Martínez and Louise Baquiet from New Orleans. Prevost has two older brothers, Louis and John.

After earning a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova University, the future pontiff entered the Midwest Augustinian Province novitiate in 1977. He made his solemn profession in 1981. Following priestly ordination in 1982, he went on to earn advanced degrees in canon law in Rome. He spent the following decades serving the Church as a missionary in Peru, an educator and formator, a Prior Provincial of the Midwest Province, and later, for two terms, a Prior General of the entire Augustinian Order.

After returning to the Province in 2013, he was called once more to missionary service, this time as Apostolic Administrator and then Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. His leadership in the Church continued to expand: as a member of the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Bishops, Apostolic Administrator of Callao, and ultimately, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Prevost earned Peruvian citizenship in 2015.

In 2023, he was created Cardinal by Pope Francis and, in 2025, elevated to the Order of Bishops within the College of Cardinals.

Cover photo courtesy of the Order of Saint Augustine