You've probably heard that the new pope Robert Prevost, named Pope Leo XIV, is a Chicagoan, raised primarily in the southern suburb of Dolton.
And as a Southsider (or adjacent to one, anyway), that means he's a huge fan of the Chicago White Sox.
He's even been caught signing baseballs for fans and parishioners during his first public appearances since being named Pope on May 8.
It's also part of his lore that he attended the 2005 World Series when the Sox made the playoffs. And now, some eagle-eyed fans have found an actual clip of him in the stands.
The clip was unearthed by Sox fan Joe Binder, who runs Sox On 35th, a news website for all things Chicago White Sox.
In the clip, taken from a broadcast of game one of the 2005 World Series when the Sox played the Houston Astros, Pope Leo can be seen in a moment when the camera cuts to the stands, sitting beside a young boy and an older man.
So how the heck was Sox On 35th able to find this needle-in-a-haystack clip of Pope Leo? There was lots of speculation online.
Many suspected the website must have used AI facial recognition software to comb through hours of footage, while others assumed the video had to be a deepfake.
In the end, the explanation was far simpler: The young boy seated beside Pope Leo tipped off Sox on 35th.
That boy, Eddie Schmitt, now 25, was just a five-year-old tyke at the time. He attended the game with his grandfather and their close family friend, "Father Bob" as he was known to the family, who attended St. Rita High School with his grandpa.
Eddie said Pope Leo was a constant presence growing up.
“[He] was like family, almost. He was always around, to say the least.”
And even he is shocked by the viral moment of Pope Leo's Sox fandom. He told Sox On 35th that he'd forgotten all about that game back in the day until photos started making the rounds online.
People on social media are loving the Pope's viral World Series flashback.
No word yet on whether there's a White Sox feed up and running at The Vatican. Hopefully there's a young cardinal who can help Pope Leo find a stream online!
