Pope Leo XIV's brother settles crucial Chicago debate: is the pontiff a White Sox fan or Cubs fan?

CBS News

08-05-2025

It didn't take long after Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the new pope for social media to catch fire with the most Chicago of debates: is Pope Leo XIV a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan?
The Cubs shared a post on X showing a new message on the iconic Wrigley Field marquee, declaring "Hey, Chicago, He's a Cubs fan!" but the new pontiff's brother, John Prevost, said his little brother has been a proud White Sox fan since they were altar boys growing up in Dolton.
"They had it wrong. He's Sox, and then the radio announced Cubs, and that's not true," he said. "Really, from Dolton to Sox Park wasn't that big of a deal, and of course we were both altar boys, so that was one of the rewards that we got was to go to a Sox game."
In a statement, the White Sox said, "Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV's lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields."
"Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we're glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark," the team added.
After learning the pope's brother settle the debate, the White Sox were quick to share the news on the center field scoreboard at Rate Field, mocking their North Side counterparts: "Hey Chicago, He's a Sox fan!"
Now known as Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost has two brothers, John and Louis, who have been there for his journey from altar boy to the papacy.
John, a retired Catholic school principal, now has the distinction of being the big brother to the first American pope.
When he was just a toddler, Robert – now Leo XIV – is the youngest of three brothers. John said they had a normal childhood and traditional Catholic upbringing. They were all altar boys, but young Robert knew from a young age he wanted to be a priest.
"You know how some kids like to play war, and be soldiers, and some girls want to play dolls, and be housewives. He wanted to play priest, and so he took our mom's ironing board, and put a tablecloth over it, and we had to go to mass," he said. "We went to mass, and he knew everything. He knew the prayers in Latin, he knew his prayers in English, and he did that all the time. He took it totally serious. It was not a joke, it was not a game. He was dead serious about it. Isn't that interesting?"
John said one of the moms down the street from them told Robert in kindergarten or 1st grade that he'd become the first U.S.-born pope.
What comes to mind when he now hears the name Pope Leo XIV when people talk about his brother?
"Shock. Disbelief. A whole lot of pride. A whole lot of 'is this for real?' 'Now what are we going to do?' That kind of stuff, because this is an awesome responsibility that we have to live up to, that he has to live up to. People are going to be watching him from now on, closer than ever, and maybe us too, the family," he said.
John said he hasn't had a chance to speak to his younger brother since he became pope, but he is headed to Rome on Friday to be part of the celebrations at the Vatican.