Big Cheers for No. 14, Pope Leo, at the Ballpark
Visuals by Jamie Kelter Davis
Text by Ruth Graham Tens of thousands of Catholic Chicagoans and others gathered in the stands at Rate Field on Saturday afternoon for a celebration of the election of Pope Leo XIV. The joyful atmosphere at the park was a testament to faith: in the Church, in the son of Chicago who now leads it, in the White Sox, or in some combination of all three.
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich said the event was designed as 'an opportunity to say that there's a lot of good that happens in Chicago.' The new pope, the former Robert Prevost, grew up in a modest brick home in a south suburb, Dolton, just on the other side of the city line, and is a confirmed Sox fan. 'We want to celebrate that he's not only from America, but he's from Chicago, and he's from the South Side,' said Rose Carlson, 42, as she filed into the ballpark with her husband, Eric.
The couple saw Leo's election as a good omen for their team, noting that he was photographed days earlier sporting the team's black-and-white cap with his white papal cassock. With his election, 'the White Sox went worldwide,' Ms. Carlson said. 'Now they're higher than the Cubs.' They were both wearing Sox jerseys with 'LEO 14' on the back. More than 30,000 tickets to the event sold out within days of the announcement last month, organizers said. The ballpark, which has a capacity of 40,615 for White Sox games, was about half full on Saturday.
The weather was sunny and mild, what might objectively be described as a perfect day. As crowds began to gather outside around noon, the mood was buoyant, with young people playing guitars, drumming and dancing.
Inside, people waited in line to take photographs with cardboard cutouts of Leo in his papal robes, as well as by a fresh mural commemorating Leo's visit to the ballpark for Game 1 of the World Series in 2005, the last time the White Sox won the title. The event began with an eclectic program that included a welcome from a White Sox representative, who noted that Chicago baseball greats Paul Konerko and Ernie Banks both wore the number 14.
The crowd also heard an original song about Leo's life with lyrics like, 'Called into the Vatican dicastery, where he dealt with problems and bureaucracy.' Students from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy also appeared onstage in their costumes from a mock conclave the school held in early May, before Pope Leo was selected from their hometown. (Their selection was a fourth- grader named Augie, who took the papal name Pope Augustine.)
At the Mass that followed the program, Bible passages were read in Spanish, Polish and English, as well as prayers in Tagalog and other languages. Songs included traditional hymns, a popular Spanish praise song, and the spiritual 'Wade in the Water.' 'It's the joy of knowing there's so much that unites us,' said Maria Torres, 37, who had traveled in a group of 15 family members from Kewanee, Ill., about 150 miles outside the city. 'There are so many identities here, so many cultures, values, traditions and languages, but it's one person that unites us all.'
At the culmination of the Mass, nearly 500 lay ministers and ushers dispersed throughout the stadium to distribute Communion. Elsewhere in the city and across the country, demonstrators were pouring into parks and streets, after a week in which President Trump deployed the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests over immigration raids.
Cardinal Cupich alluded to the turmoil in his homily. 'It is wrong to scapegoat those who are here without documents,' he said, to cheers from many in the stands. 'They are here due to a broken immigration system which both parties have failed to fix.' Leo himself made an appearance of sorts, in the form of a video message recorded at the Vatican and displayed on the large digital display looming above the outfield. In his first public address to an American audience, he encouraged young people to see themselves as 'beacons of hope.'
After the Mass, the music continued, with a break for a familiar ballpark refrain. The crowd laughed with recognition, and then joined in: 'Let's go, Leo,' they chanted. 'Let's go!'
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