Whole new ballgame: Pope Leo to deliver message at White Sox park in Chicago
Whole new ballgame: Pope Leo to deliver message at White Sox park in Chicago
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'One of our own': Chicago celebrates election of Pope Leo XIV
Chicago residents and leaders with the Archdiocese of Chicago are celebrating the election of a native to the papacy.
CHICAGO – Some say Chicago's south side baseball team needs a miracle. And on Saturday, they're getting it when Pope Leo XIV comes home.
Well, virtually comes home, anyway.
Leo, the recently announced new head of the Catholic Church and a Chicago native, will be appearing in his hometown Saturday on a video screen. And at his favorite team's ballpark: Rate Field, home of the White Sox. The noted fan was seen rocking the team's cap in St. Peter's Square this week in an apparent nod to the upcoming celebration.
Leo's virtual appearance at the park comes after the White Sox had the worst year in modern baseball history. Chicagoans hope his appearance will usher in a new era, perhaps with some help from high places.
'If anybody could make it happen, this is the guy,' said David Perez, weighing in from Go Tavern, a pub in the city's Logan Square neighborhood. "When I moved here, they had just won and were World Series contenders."
The Sox last won the World Series in 2005. The city has been praying for a win since then. Perez is crossing his fingers for Leo to deliver Angels in the Outfield-style help, a reference to the 1994 film where the team wins with a little help from divine intervention.
As Robert Francis Prevost, Leo was actually at the 2005 World Series when they swept the Houston Astros to win the pennant for the first time in 88 years. The baseball club commemorated the moment with a mural near Section 140 where Leo stood then, watching Game 1. The Sox went on to sweep the series.
The celebration at Sox park on the South Side will honor the pope's roots in the area. Born on the South Side in 1955, Leo grew up attending church in Chicago. In addition to the Leo's message played on the park's big screen, the event will include words from people who knew Leo. It'll also feature a mass celebrated by Chicago-area Cardinal Blase Cupich.
Chicago Bulls announcer Chuck Swirsky will emcee the event, organizers said.
Gates open at 12:30 p.m. and the program begins at 2:30 p.m., according to the Archdiocese of Chicago. Mass begins at 4 p.m. The program also includes a clip highlighting Leo's Chicago roots and friends of his are expected to speak, the archdiocese said.
Leo's message is expected to be addressed to young people around the world. Organizers hope that as much as the event is a celebration of the Chicagoland pope and his devotion to the White Sox, it will also be a chance to win over fans of the church.
'We know that we're in a moment in American culture where people are spiritually seeking and looking for meaning and purpose and oftentimes we think of the pope as sort of not quite human, as some kind of mythical figure and he's somewhat irrelevant because he's not like us,' said Brian Romer Niemiec, an organizer of the event with the archdiocese.
'If this moment can make the pope seem like he is like us, he is one of us, I think that helps a lot of people who are trying to figure out 'Is there more to life than this?' 'What is my purpose?' 'Where do I belong?''
Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster for $5. Resale tickets were selling for as much as $1,200 at one point, according to reporting by the Chicago Sun-Times. Tens of thousands are expected to attend the event at the stadium seating 40,000 people.
Many in the city are just excited that a Chicago native is showcasing America in a new light on the world stage instead of President Donald Trump.
'Right now the biggest figure in America is Trump and he's the polar opposite,' said Daniel Fletcher. 'It's a strong counterpoint.'
The 35-year-old with a Sox cap said he hopes attendees of the event Saturday will hear a 'more compassionate approach' as well as potentially his feeling about the abysmal season the team had last year.
'It's crazy these shared experiences we have and then to see him become the mouthpiece of God,' said Fletcher.
Pope Leo's celebration will be livestreamed on the The Archdiocese of Chicago's website. It can also be viewed on YouTube.
Attendees at the park can expect to find 'prayer booths' and be able to take selfies with life-sized cardboard cutouts of the pope, according to the archdiocese.
White Sox club leaders hope Leo will one day appear at the stadium in the flesh.'He has an open invite to throw out a first pitch,' White Sox executive Brooks Boyer said, per MLB.com. 'Heck, maybe we'll let him get an at-bat.'
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr.
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