On Tuesday night, the White Sox hosted the Holy Grail of all baseball giveaways: a “Pope Hat” promotion themed entirely around Pope Leo XIV, the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, an Illinois native and a long-suffering White Sox fan.
Ever since his appointment, the White Sox have worked to capitalize on the connection between themselves and Pope Leo, whose support for the franchise has been well-documented. There is now a mural of the religious leader inside the ballpark. Last summer, the Sox hosted a Catholic mass at Rate Field. And outside of Chicago, His Holiness has even acknowledged his diehard support while cruising around the Vatican, where loud and proud Americans have bestowed gifts upon him like wise men awarding presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
