{"id":106408,"date":"2025-06-15T20:30:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T20:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/106408\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T20:30:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T20:30:18","slug":"chicagoans-cheer-leo-xiv-amid-nations-deepening-divides-national-catholic-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/106408\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicagoans Cheer Leo XIV Amid Nation\u2019s Deepening Divides| National Catholic Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rate Field has been the scene of a fierce crosstown Chicago rivalry over the years. But on Saturday, the home of the White Sox baseball club was transformed into a site of intra-city brotherly love, where even Chicago Cubs fans felt at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The immediate cause for unity? A celebration of Pope Leo XIV, the South Side native and the first-ever U.S.-born Pope.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thousands of Catholics from Chicago and beyond came out to the old ballpark to root, root, root for the home(town) pope, who grew up a 16-minute drive from the stadium in Dolton, Illinois<\/a>, and is a lifelong White Sox fan. The afternoon featured Pope Leo\u2019s first-ever address to his home nation<\/a> via video message, songs and stories celebrating his historic May 8 election, and a culminating Mass celebrated by Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the stadium, White Sox fans donned in the teams\u2019 classic black and white mingled with attendees clad in the blue and red of the rival Cubs. The camaraderie on display went far beyond sports, however, as attendees from seemingly every race, age and language group gathered to celebrate the American pope and worship God at Mass.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"WhiteWhite Sox fan Maria Rosales (second from right) celebrates with her family members outside Rate Field in Chicago on June 14, 2025, prior to a special Mass marking the election of Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native. (Photo: Jonathan Liedl ) <\/p>\n

The afternoon\u2019s festivities presented a powerful image of the universality of the Catholic Church and the unity being fostered by Pope Leo \u2014 and contrasted starkly with the deep divisions plaguing the new Pope\u2019s homeland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Long beset by political polarization, discord in the United States took an even darker turn earlier that day in Minnesota, when Melissa Hortman, the former speaker of the state house, and her husband, were shot dead<\/a> in what police said was a politically motivated murder. Later that day, political divisions in America were put on stark display, as \u201cNo King\u201d protests against President Donald Trump took place throughout the country while the president presided at a military parade celebrating the U.S. Army\u2019s 250th birthday in Washington, D.C.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The political and social divides dominating American life make clear the challenges facing Pope Leo\u2019s bid for peace and unity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Father Ed Shea, a Franciscan friar based in Gary, Indiana, thinks that the American Pope and his message of hope and cherishing the human dignity of others has the potential to be a guiding light amid the present darkness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"FatherFather Ed Shea, a Franciscan friar and Chicago native pictured here wearing a White Sox jersey with ‘Pope Leo’ on the back, says Catholics can ‘rally around’ the American pope and his message of hope and unity.(Photo: Jonathan Liedl ) <\/p>\n

\u201cWe can rally around this Pope,\u201d said Father Shea, a lifelong White Sox fan who wore a #14 jersey with \u201cPope Leo\u201d emblazoned on the back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And as the Pope himself made clear in the eight-minute video message that played on the jumbotron in center field, he\u2019s just the vicar, not the source, of that light.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we grow in our unity, as we come together in communion, we can discover that that light will grow brighter and brighter,\u201d he said. \u201cThat light which is indeed our faith in Jesus Christ.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Allen Castaneda, 59, of Homer Glen, Illinois, predicted that Pope Leo, as both an American and the earthly head of the universal Catholic Church, will play a role in \u201cbringing everyone together as a family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be really good for our country,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a game-changer.\u201d \u00a0
\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Relatable Pope\u00a0<\/p>\n

A big part of Pope Leo\u2019s unifying potential in his home country comes down to one thing: his relatability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of us,\u201d said Jennifer Arreola, 48, of nearby Lansing, Illinois, who came to the stadium with miniature American flags adorned with an image of Pope Leo. \u201cThis is so exciting to have a pope that is literally one of us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"JenniferJennifer Arreola and her son Donavon brought American flags with an image of Pope Leo XIV to a celebration of the first U.S.-born pope at Rate Field in Chicago, June 14, 2025. \u201cHe\u2019s one of us,\u201d said Arreola. (Photo: Jonathan Liedl) <\/p>\n

The Chicago native\u2019s White Sox fandom has emerged as a powerful symbol of his \u201ceveryday American\u201d aura. The Pope set both Catholics and baseball fans in a tizzy a week ago when he was given, and then donned, a White Sox ball cap in St. Peter\u2019s Square following an audience with newlyweds. And in the days after he was first elected pope, video footage from Game 1 of the 2005 World Series showing then-Father Robert Prevost nervously cheering for his club in their home stadium became an internet sensation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the viral video, the White Sox quickly put up a graphic of Pope Leo at the entrance of the section the future pope had sat in for that World Series game. In the hours before the June 14 Mass at Rate Field, it was easily the most popular spot in the stadium, with fans of the pope \u2014and\/or the White Sox \u2014 forming a long line as they waited to have their photo snapped in front of his likeness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Father Alex Lorang, a priest of the Diocese of Joliet who concelebrated the Mass at Rate Field, noted Pope Leo\u2019s baseball fandom isn\u2019t just a quirky bit of cultural trivia. Given the unique capacity of sports to connect people who otherwise might have much in common, he thinks it could be a contributing factor in the Pope\u2019s evangelistic outreach. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the Pope of all people to be like, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m a Sox fan, I\u2019ve been to games\u2019 \u2014 there\u2019s something about that that now people will listen to that they wouldn\u2019t have otherwise,\u201d said Father Lorang, who serves as parochial vicar at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Naperville, Illinois.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Friendly Rivalry\u00a0 <\/p>\n

At the very least, people seem proud to show-off their connection with the South Side Pope. White Sox jerseys with the number \u201c14\u201d and \u201cPope Leo\u201d or even \u201cDa Pope\u201d emblazoned on the back were a common sight among the crowd at Rate field. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Creative, custom-designed t-shirts \u2014 such as one showing the pope eating a hot dog and drinking a beer, or another with an outline of the state of Illinois filled in with the Vatican\u2019s flag \u2014 were popular, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus wouldn\u2019t be a part of the winning team. He\u2019d associate with the lowly, the humble, and here we are\u201d she says as she gestures to the White Sox stadium pic.twitter.com\/HZ4WR3l1Bf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jonathan Liedl (@JLLiedl) June 14, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

Some attendees, like Veronica Herr, believe that Pope Leo\u2019s White Sox fandom isn\u2019t just a product of his South Side upbringing. The 49-year-old Catholic school teacher from Normal, Illinois, suggested that being a fan of the team, which has long been associated with Chicago\u2019s working class and set the league record for most losses in a season last year, is downright Christ-like.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus wouldn\u2019t be part of the winning team, I don\u2019t think. He\u2019d be with the lowly and the humble, and here we are,\u201d Herr said, as she gestured toward the White Sox\u2019 stadium behind her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"VeronicaVeronica Herr, far left, and her family sport several customized shirts celebrating Pope Leo\u2019s connection to the White Sox and Chicago as they prepare to attend an afternoon celebrating the American pope at Rate Field in Chicago on June 14. (Photo: Jonathan Liedl ) <\/p>\n

Father Felipe Vaglienty, who was wearing a White Sox cap to go along with his black clerical attire before getting ready for Mass, acknowledged that his team might \u201cnot win very often.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But now, as the associate pastor of Most Blessed Trinity parish in Waukegan, Illinois, pointed out, they\u2019ve got the pope.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cubs fans at the stadium like Gerado Hernandez didn\u2019t seem too troubled by the development. The 45-year-old from Berwyn, Illinois, thought the White Sox fan\u2019s ascendancy to the papacy \u201cmight give them a blessing to get some much-needed wins.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And he certainly wasn\u2019t going to let the Pope\u2019s association with the crosstown rivals keep him from coming to the big celebration at Rate Field.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is a child of our God, and we are just blessed to all be gathered here today, regardless of what team we\u2019re rooting for,\u201d said Hernandez.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elisha Valladares-Cormier, a Yankees fan who drove with his family all the way from Sandusky, Ohio, to attend the Rate Field event, joked that he \u201cfelt a little bit sorry\u201d for Pope Leo when he found out the Holy Father was a White Sox fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Valladares-Cormier, who is the senior editor of the Knights of Columbus magazine, suggested that the Pope\u2019s love of baseball was a \u201clittle bond\u201d with millions of other American Catholics, which could help inspire others to also pursue a life of holiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many of them are going to know that Pope Leo was a little boy just like them, who went to recess, did his homework, and played baseball on the sandlot, and then discovered his vocation and is now Pope,\u201d said Valladares-Cormier. \u201cNow, they\u2019ll look to his as an example to follow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unity In Christ\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The well-attended and diverse celebration at Rate Field was a fitting tribute to Pope Leo, who has made unity \u2014 both in the Church and in the world \u2014 the overriding priority of his pontificate thus far.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Inside and around the stadium. unity was on display in a variety of ways. Different cultural groups, including mostly black members of the Chicago-based Leo High School choir and predominantly Latino members of the Neocatechumenal Way, provided musical celebrations of the new Pope. Brother David Marshall, an Augustinian, performed a tri-lingual piano tribute to Pope Leo called \u201cOne of Us,\u201d incorporating the Spanish the Chicago-born pontiff spoke as a longtime missionary in Peru, and also Latin phrases like the Pope\u2019s episcopal motto: In Illo Uno Unum, meaning \u201cIn the One [Christ] We Are One.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cardinal Cupich, who joked that he\u2019d remember his on-field homily as \u201cthe sermon on the mound,\u201d underscored that unity means respecting the dignity of all people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHumanity is greatly diminished whenever the unborn or the undocumented, the unemployed, or the unhealthy are excluded, uninvited and unwelcome,\u201d said the Chicago cardinal, who was the main organizer of the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his video message, Pope Leo expressed his gratitude to those in Chicago who had gathered to celebrate him. And yet he constantly rallied the crowd not around himself, but around God.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Something undeniably awe-inspiring about tens of thousands of Catholics singing \u201cHoly God We Praise Thy Name\u201d at a major league ball park. pic.twitter.com\/0J6jjg1A15<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jonathan Liedl (@JLLiedl) June 15, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

The Pope began his address by noting that God\u2019s Triune life, which would be celebrated just moments later at the Mass for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, is the model and source for all human communion and unity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the Pope also made clear that Christian community is not meant to be self-referential or confided to intra-Catholic celebrations. Instead, he stressed that it must overcome \u201cegotistical ways\u201d in the form of genuine love and service for others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGod in his own generosity continues to pour out his love upon us,\u201d Pope Leo said. \u201cAnd as he gives us his love, he only asks us to be generous and to share what he has given us with others.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maria Rosales, a big White Sox fan who tailgated with her friends and family in the parking lot before the Pope Leo celebration, said that she hopes the first American Pope brings more people together \u2014 and more people to God.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA celebration of Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field brought together baseball and Catholicism, as some attendees tailgated in the stadium parking lot before the official programming began. (Photo: Jonathan Liedl ) <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need God in our lives, we need God in our government, we need God in our schools,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I hope that the Pope can help with that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Donna Sagna, who lives next door to the house Pope Leo XIV grew up in and was at the Mass, said the Chicago-born Pope is already making a difference back in Dolton. The city has long-suffered from violence and crime, but she says the Pope\u2019s childhood home has become a daily place of prayer and unity. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s praying in our community, stuff I\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d said Sagna, who is new to Catholicism and said that Pope Leo XIV has inspired her to evangelize. \u201cIt\u2019s totally a miracle.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For lifelong Sox fans like the Franciscan friar Father Shea, that experience of unity at Rate Field made the visit to the ballpark unlike any he\u2019s had before \u2014 including attending Game 2 of the 2005 World Series, when the legendary Paul Konkero, who also wore #14, hit a game-sealing grand slam.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been to this stadium hundreds of times, all great events,\u201d said Father Shea. \u201cThis is the best of all those \u2014 ever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the Franciscan expressed his hope that the Pope\u2019s message would spur Catholics to take relationships seriously, counteracting the \u201cvitriolic energy\u201d dominating American life and resulting in both liberals and conservatives \u201chating each other and not wanting to listen to each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that people\u2019s hearts will be softened\u201d by Pope Leo, said Father Shea. \u201cWe need new hearts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n