Cubs and White Sox battle over Pope Leo XIV's fandom; Southsiders may have upper hand

Pope Leo XIV is keeping his sports rooting interest close to his vest, but the two teams in his hometown seem to have already made up their minds.

Robert Prevost was elected to take up the papal seat on Thursday, the second day of the papal conclave’s deliberations. He is the first American pope.

The new pope will turn 70 this year on Sept. 14 and is a Chicago native who attended Villanova - much to the pleasure of New York Knicks fans, as their biggest stars are former Wildcats.

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So, Pope Leo XIV's college rooting interest needs no questioning. It is also safe to assume he may root for the Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks.

However, the city of Chicago has two MLB teams: the Cubs and the White Sox. So, it remains to be seen where his true rooting interest lies.

However, both teams have made the bold claim that he is a fan of them.

A Chicago priest said the pope is a Cubs fan, but his own brother said otherwise, according to the video the Sox posted.

An apparent photo has also been unearthed of the pope attending the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and Houston Astros.

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Leo XIV was first brought to the Vatican by Pope Francis to serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in January 2023, which is one of the most important positions in the Catholic Church as it vets bishop nominations issued globally.

Francis then elevated him to the position of Cardinal in September 2023. 

Leo was reported to be closely aligned to Francis' teachings as leader of the Catholic Church, particularly when it came to his positions regarding the environment, outreach to the poor and migrants, and opening the Catholic Church to embrace more followers.

In 2015, Leo got his Peruvian citizenship, where he remained until he was moved to the Vatican in 2023. 

During his final years in Peru, Leo also served as vice president of the permanent council of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference from 2018 to 2023, which likely helped him secure his role as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Francis.

Fox News' Caitlin McFall and The Associated Press contributed to this report.