‘South Side' Pope Leo offers video message to Chicagoans at ballpark mass
Pope Leo XIV, born in Dolton, Illinois, and a White Sox baseball fan, has been anointed by Chicagoans as the 'South Side Pope', appearing via video on Saturday at the White Sox ballpark to offer a message to young people.
At a mass organized by the archdiocese of Chicago in honor of the new pope, attendees wore baseball jerseys while nuns in habits congregated near the entrance. Others dressed up in slacks and ties, and the sound of 'Pope parking!' echoed through a megaphone from a nearby parking lot.
There were Pope Leo jerseys, fans wearing head-to-toe papal outfits, and even a mural painted at the stadium. Fans made pilgrimages to seat two in row 19 of section 140, where he sat at the playoff game.
Last year, the team set the record for most losses in a single season. Some are hoping for a little holy intervention in this year's season.
Saturday's event kicked off at 2.30pm with an introduction from Chuck Swirsky, the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls, music from the Leo high school choir and Luis Galvez, and a panel discussion with Pope Leo's former teacher and a high school classmate.
The first American pope, although unable to attend the mass in person, shared a video message addressing the youth of the world displayed on the jumbotron at the stadium.
In his video, Pope Leo said that young people, having lived through times of isolation and great difficulty in the pandemic, may have missed out on the opportunity to live as a part of a faith community. He encouraged young people to look into their hearts, 'to recognize God is present', in a 7-minute video message.
The pontiff informed those watching that they are giving hope to many people in the world and that they are a source of 'promoting peace [and] promoting harmony among all peoples'.
Sandra Alders, from the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, brought her two children to the event to experience this unique moment.
'I just wanted my children to hear a message of inspiration,' she said.
Alders hopes Pope Leo will appeal to young people who don't feel connected to any church or any religion.
'I want my children to feel like they belong, and I think him being someone we can connect to in our community is a great start,' she said.
Jenn Wilson, a South Side transplant living in Evanston, said: 'I don't know if a ballpark mass will make mainstream Catholicism cool for the kids. My own kids thought it was cool to have a Chicago Pope, but they're also not rushing to mass.'
Before the mass, Wilson said she was hopeful that there would be remarks that defy the current political state of America, as 'they are in direct conflict with the philosophy of the Catholicism I was taught.'
Starting at 4pm ET, an extravagant mass began at the stadium when the smell of incense wafted in the air as the entrance procession began. Like most masses, priests, bishops and altar servers walked with crosses and candles – except this time it was on a baseball field that holds 40,000 spectators.
Underneath the Miller Time and Caesar's Sportsbook signs, the Chicago cardinal, Blase Cupich, led the mass by saying, 'I think I'm going to remember this moment as a sermon on the mound.'
While Pope Leo didn't directly touch on politics, Cardinal Cupich said in his homily that while countries have a duty to secure their borders, 'it is wrong to scapegoat those who are here without documents, for indeed they are here due to a broken immigration system.' Cupich has long been an advocate of respecting human rights and has spoken out against deportations.
He went on to say that immigrants are here not by invasion but by invitation.
'An invitation to harvest the fruits of the Earth to feed our families, an invitation to clean our tables, hotels and motel rooms. An invitation to landscape our lawns and, yes, even an invitation to take care of our children and our elderly,' he said.
Ray Pingoy, the senior coordinator for Respect Life and Chastity Education for the Archdiocese of Chicago, asked world leaders in the Tagalog language to 'respect in both word and deed the dignity of human person, especially immigrants and refugees.'
The mass notably coincided with the thousands of 'No Kings' protests around the country, and right before Donald Trump's military parade.
Words of pro-immigration were met with cheers and applause.
Andrew DiMaggio drove from the suburbs and said he 'couldn't miss out on this opportunity as a White Sox fan. He's our South Side Pope!'
Wilson said she 'never expected an American Pope, much less a Chicago Pope'.
'At this moment, it feels like we have some acknowledgment as American Catholics to bring important things to the faith as a whole,' she said. 'We bring a different sensibility that is based on basic kindness and pragmatism.'
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