Overview

• Vatican Media video shows Pope Leo XIV replying in Spanish, then English, “Han perdido! They lost!” after a crowd member shouted “Go Cubs!” in St. Peter’s Square.
• The quip referenced the Cubs’ NLDS defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers in five games last week.
• Born Robert Francis Prevost, he became the first American-born pope in May 2025 and has long identified with Chicago’s South Side team.
• The White Sox have highlighted his fandom with a mural at Guaranteed Rate Field, a stadium video message in June, and his public appearance in a Sox cap.
• Early reports hinting he was a Cubs supporter were refuted by his brother, who said he has always backed the White Sox.