Pope Leo XIV's connection to the Chicago White Sox has always been more than just a passing headline. Now, the story has the ending it deserved.
The pontiff has finally received the signed Paul Konerko jersey that was sent in July 2025, giving one of baseball's strangest recent crossover stories a genuinely neat full-circle moment.
What makes this work is that it is not a forced bit of marketing. Pope Leo XIV's White Sox ties already had roots, and the jersey just makes that bond feel more authentic.
Photo by Brian D. Kersey/Getty Images
This was always more than just a celebrity fan shout. Robert Francis Prevost, long before he became Pope Leo XIV, was spotted at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series .
That detail matters. The 2005 team still carries enormous emotional weight for the White Sox, and it stops this story from feeling like a novelty built after the fact.
His public image as a White Sox fan then grew when he wore a White Sox cap at the Vatican in June 2025.
That was the moment the wider sports world could see the connection. The jersey arriving now gives it a cleaner and more personal finish.
Konerko was the right player for this exchange. He spent 16 seasons with the White Sox, became a central figure in the 2005 title, and remains tied to the club's modern identity.
He had already received a signed No. 14 jersey from Pope Leo XIV, calling the connection "pretty cool" and "kind of surreal."
And the symbolism ties it together. Konerko wore No. 14, and Leo XIV is the 14th pope to use the name Leo.
That part could not have been scripted any better. The jersey finally arriving gives the White Sox their most unlikely, but most genuine, modern fan story.
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