House that Leo built: Pope delivers message of hope at White Sox park

USA Today

11 hours ago

House that Leo built: Pope delivers message of hope at White Sox park Thousands went to the first American pope's old haunt on the South Side to hear a message from the man they once knew as Robert Francis Prevost.
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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 – The city's favorite son delivered a fastball straight from the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV, born in Chicago in 1955, spoke in a video message to tens of thousands of spectators at Rate Field, the Chicago White Sox ballpark that was a staple of his youth growing up. Leo's message was part of a celebration of the first American pope at the stadium of his beloved ball team. The South Side native's message was aimed particularly at young people.
'That restlessness you feel in your hearts, we shouldn't look for ways to put out the fire, to numb ourselves to the difficulties we feel, we should get in touch with our hearts and realize that God can work through it,' said Leo, speaking in a pre-recorded message to people gathered at the sunny ballpark. 'That light on the horizon is not easy to see and yet as we come together we discover that light is growing brighter and brighter.'
The special message from Leo was part of a program at the home of the pope's beloved ball team that included words from people who knew him as Robert Francis Prevost, fourth graders who participated in a viral mock conclave and performances by a Chicago Catholic high school choir that was recently on America's Got Talent.
'I'd like to take this opportunity to invite each one of you to look into your hearts,' Leo said. 'God is present and in many ways He's calling you to look into your heart, to discover how important it is for each one of us to pay attention to God in our hearts, to that longing for love we may feel.'
Chicago-area Cardinal Blase Cupich celebrated Mass and Chicago Bulls announcer Chuck Swirsky emceed the event.
Among attendees were nuns from Chicago-area convents who had never been to the stadium and Saturday found themselves seated in the infield, Sox fans returning to their regular stomping grounds and Chicago Cubs fans who were convinced to cross enemy lines at last.
Leo is a noted Sox fan. He was recently spotted wearing the team's ball cap and was seen in archival footage at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. The ball club honored the moment with a mural at Section 140 where Leo was seen standing to rally the team in the team's pinstripes.
Alderwoman Nicole Lee of the city's 11th Ward, which includes the stadium, attended in a retro Sox shirt.
'What a great way to bring people together in a time when we need people to come together,' said Lee, noting the No Kings protests happening just a few miles north of Sox park and around the country. 'It's not that normal that we're here like this and I love that that's what we're doing right now. We could all use a dose of energy and a word of encouragement about what it'll take for the world to get on a better path.'
Da Pope-mania
Many showed up at the event on Saturday wearing the 'Da Pope' paraphernalia that's popped up in stores and streetside stands around the city in the wake of Leo's election at the conclave on May 8.
Silvia Campos and Miguel Angel Vazquez, South Side residents and regular Sox game goers, wore White Sox-styled pope shirts they picked up at a recent game. The jerseys include the number 14 on the back.
'It's a way to get closer to him,' said Vazquez. 'We wouldn't be able to get to Rome so for us this is the closest possible for now.'
The White Sox could not be immediately reached about whether they will retire the number 14. Paul Konerko, who wore the number 14 and whom Leo rooted for at the 2005 World Series, already has his name up at the stadium.
Among the other paraphernalia were jerseys outfitted with the keys of the Vatican and Leo's name set against Chicago's iconic skyline. Grace and Janice Carpenter wore a pair of visors they had outfitted to look like a bishop's mitre hat.
Fernando Flores, a shirt vendor outside the stadium, said his outfit had sold 10,000 shirts in the weeks since Leo's election.
'I would compare it to a championship overnight,' said Flores, 45. 'It's a phenomenon where everyone wants a piece of it.'
Shirts sell for $25. Pope Leo baseball cards from Topps were for sale outside the stadium for $20. Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIII cards were also for sale.
Prayers for peace
The event celebrating Leo convinced even die hard Cubs fans to head to the South Side park.
'I'm in enemy territory here, where do I go,' Raul Gomez asked staff outside the stadium. The 36-year-old North Side resident said it was his first time back at the stadium in 10 years.
'A whole stadium filled with Catholics, Pope Leo the first American pope, from Chicago, I needed to be a part of that,' he said. 'That lineage from Peter somehow goes through Chicago, how amazing is that.'
Gomez was satisfied with how the first-place Cubs are doing but said Leo lends a hand to other Chicago teams.
'I'm hoping Leo does some kind of prayer for the Bears because they're deep in the hole,' he said.
Friendly divisions between the North and the South sides were just part of what many hoped Leo will bridge.
'As a Latina, it's very meaningful to see somebody as pope who understands the reality of Latin America, of the poor,' said Teresa Montes-Lara, a Dominican nun originally from Mexico. 'I hope he challenges us in our faith and I want o hear something about migrants, about the radical obligation the church has.'
Cupich raised the issue in his homily at the Mass. 'It is wrong to scapegoat people without documents, for indeed they are here due to a broken immigration system,' he said. 'They are here not by invasion but by invitation.'
Others hoped for more personal intercession.
Dr. Joy Henningsen said she flew in from Nashville for the event. The radiologist said she lived in the Chicago area until 2020. Her family was devoted to Pope John Paul II and attributes a miracle to the pope that led a doctor to discover a piece of glass near his heart when he was having heart trouble.
'I believe in the power of healing via the Holy Father so I'm here asking for healing and peace in the world,' said Henningsen. 'I would not miss this for the world.'
Mound is waiting
Among official speakers were those who knew Leo back in Chicago.
Father John Merkelis, who belongs to the same Augustinian order as Leo and was his high school classmate, said he was emailing Leo in the days leading up to the conclave.
'He said he's sleeping well because an American is not going to be pope,' said Merkelis. Days later, the priests said he was at an Augustinian house shouting 'that's Prevost, that's Prevost' when Leo was announced.
The Augustinian said Leo's a guy who can change a car's oil and is an excellent Wordle player. But he remembers him best as the man who waited past midnight to share his condolences when Merkeles got home after his dad died.
'He was there waiting on the stairs,' he said. 'He's a sensitive, sensitive man.'
Dianne Bergant, a former teacher, said she remembered him as an excellent student but she also took the moment to celebrate the Chicago community that raised him. 'It says something about the education he got,' she said.
Many at the stadium hoped the event was a pre-season for Leo in person.
Brooks Boyer, a White Sox executive, said that the 'mounting is waiting' for Leo.
'Your holiness, you've always been one of us, you wear the Sox cap like it was made for you, on behalf of White Sox fans, we'd be happy to welcome you back for a first pitch,' Boyer said. 'We'll send a ball to the Vatican so your arm is prepared.'