The Chicago White Sox are having a pretty magical season. Despite losing more than 100 games in each of the last three seasons, the ChiSox suddenly find themselves in first-place in the AL Central with fewer than 30 games remaining.
It amost feels like too quick a turnaround. This team would've needed multiple high-end acquisitions or multiple elite prospects to graduate. They've certainly had a few between Colson Montgomery, Braden Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami, but it didn't seem like that would be enough to turn around what has been a basement-dwelling franchise in just one year.
It's almost like ... they've been the beneficiaries of divine intervention.
On Thursday, Aug. 27, the team gave renowned fan and Chicago native Pope Leo XIV his
own White Sox-branded mitre (the tall, ceremonial hat worn by the Pope), a solid offering to someone who perhaps was sending daily prayers to his favorite franchise.
AHA! See, the White Sox have an unfair advantage, playing with a holy edge!
Pope Leo must be filling the White Sox with divine baseball ability. How else can you explain Miguel Vargas' .861 OPS? Or Grant Taylor's sudden emergence as an elite bullpen arm?
It's all starting to add up.
Will Pope Leo ever wear this in public?
It's highly unlikely. Popes usually have specific liturgical mitres prepared for several occasions, which usually feature his own personal coat of arms.
While the White Sox might be important to Pope Leo, they are not represented on his coat of arms, thusly, the mitre is likely just a decoration and meant to be part of a collection.
When did Pope Leo say he was a White Sox fan?
It wasn't the Pope himself who declared his love for the White Sox, it was his brother John. Shortly after Pope Leo was elected in May 2025, the Cubs tried to take advantage and praise the Chicago-born Catholic leader, but John made it clear that Leo was actually a fan of the city's southside team.
Footage has also emerged of a younger Pope Leo at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, where the White Sox beat the Houston Astros 5-3. Furthermore, in June 2025, he wore a White Sox cap during a public meeting at the Vatican, cementing his fandom.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White Sox gift Chicago native Pope Leo XIV a team-branded mitre
