Not long after Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected pope, social media lit up with a deeply Chicago question: is Pope Leo XIV a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan?
The Cubs were quick to claim him, posting a photo on X of the Wrigley Field marquee declaring, “Hey, Chicago, He’s a Cubs fan!” But according to the pope’s brother, John Prevost, that claim doesn’t hold up. He says the new pontiff has been a dedicated White Sox fan since their childhood days in Dolton.
“They got it wrong,” John said. “He’s a Sox fan. The radio said Cubs, but that’s just not true. Growing up in Dolton, Sox Park wasn’t far, and going to Sox games was one of the little perks we got for being altar boys.”
In response, the White Sox issued a statement saying, “Family always knows best, and it seems Pope Leo XIV’s heart has always been closer to 35th and Shields.”
The team added: “Some things are bigger than baseball, and this is one of them. We’re honored to have a Sox fan at the Vatican. A pinstriped jersey with his name and a hat are already on their way to Rome, and the Pontiff is always welcome at his home ballpark.”
Once John set the record straight, the White Sox wasted no time sharing the update on the center field scoreboard at Guaranteed Rate Field, with a not-so-subtle jab at the North Side: “Hey Chicago, He’s a Sox fan!”
Now Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost grew up as the youngest of three brothers. His siblings, John and Louis, have supported him on his journey from suburban altar boy to the highest office in the Catholic Church.
John, a retired Catholic school principal, is now proudly known as the older brother of the first American-born pope.
Reflecting on their upbringing, John recalled that Robert was drawn to the priesthood early on. “Some kids play war or pretend to be parents. Robert wanted to be a priest. He’d turn our mom’s ironing board into an altar with a tablecloth, and we had to go to mass. He knew the prayers in Latin and English—he was completely serious about it, even as a kid.”
John also remembered a neighbor who once predicted, back in Robert’s kindergarten or first-grade days, that he would someday become the first U.S.-born pope.
So how does John feel now when he hears his brother referred to as Pope Leo XIV?
“Shock. Disbelief. Immense pride. It’s surreal,” he said. “This is a tremendous responsibility—not just for him, but for all of us. The world’s eyes are on him now, and maybe on the rest of us too.”
Although John hasn’t spoken with his brother since the papal announcement, he’s set to fly to Rome on Friday to join the celebrations at the Vatican.
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