Pope Leo's first public message to US at White Sox park after being elected: Put aside ‘egotistical ways' to spread hope
Pope Leo, originally from Chicago's South Side and a longtime supporter of his cherished yet struggling White Sox, sent a video message on Saturday to a sold-out crowd participating in a Catholic Mass held in his honour at their home ballpark. He urged Chicagoans to keep away "egotistical ways" in order to extend hope and work to build community in their hometown.
The pontiff, the first leader of the global Catholic Church from the United States, spoke for nearly seven minutes on Rate Field's jumbotron during the event, organised by the Chicago archdiocese and showcasing numerous other local personalities, comprising Bulls announcer Chuck Swirsky.
"It's a pleasure for me to greet all of you gathered together at White Sox Park on this great celebration," the pope stated in his first public address to the US since his May 8 election whose predecessor was the late Pope Francis.
While speaking in English with a slight Chicago accent, he mentioned, 'We have to look for ways of coming together and promoting a message of hope.'
Hours prior to the event at Rate Field began, people had gathered around the stadium, with kids in White Sox jerseys, hawkers selling "Da Pope" baseball hats, nuns in white and blue habits and priests in their collars.
Saturday's event, led by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, coincided with nationwide demonstrations, including one at Chicago's Daley Plaza, protesting Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, a separate protest unfolded in Washington, DC, ahead of the president's 79th birthday celebration, which included a military parade. Pope avoided any political remarks, instead delivering a message of encouragement aimed at young people.
Sister Barbara Reid, president of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where the pope studied in the 1980s, said she hoped his message might serve to bring greater unity to the US. 'A celebration that's centered on hope and possibility and unity is needed now more than ever before, Hopefully this can be a catalyst to bring us together,' she mentioned.
According to the White Sox, on the first day that tickets became available for Saturday's event, over 10,000 tickets were sold in the first 15 minutes. The Chicago Sun-Times reported tickets, which sold for $5 apiece, came for resale sites like StubHub for over $1,200 just hours after they were out.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Not in favour of making Hindi compulsory from Std I, says Ajit Pawar
Pune: Deputy chief minister , also the chief of Mahayuti partner NCP, on Saturday said he was not in favour of making Hindi compulsory from Standard I, amid the call for a protest march by estranged Thackeray cousins on July 5 against the state govt over the alleged "imposition" of the language on students. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now When Ajit Pawar was asked about his stand against the backdrop of the rally, he said, "I made my stand clear on Hindi in Mumbai a few days back. There is no opposition to the fact that Marathi, being the mother tongue in Maharashtra, should be the compulsory language from Standard 1. Now the trend of English has picked up and many parents are enrolling their children in English medium schools. After Standard V, the parents can take a call on choosing the third language. Generally, in Maharashtra, along with Marathi and English, students learn Hindi as the third language. Some choose different languages also." Giving a push for the three-language policy, the Mahayuti govt decided on April 16 to make Hindi the mandatory third language in govt schools from Standard I. The decision triggered opposition not only from the political parties but also from academicians and scholars. Amid the growing protest, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Hindi would not be made compulsory and students could opt for the third language. In the revised order, the state govt stated that Hindi would generally be the third language, and in the case of any other language, a minimum of 20 students should opt for it. Both Thackeray cousins have come together against the state govt's decision, calling it an imposition of Hindi in the state. They have called on all the political parties and Marathi celebrities to join the protest rally in Mumbai on July 5. Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS party workers have started a campaign to gather a big crowd for the rally. Along with social media posts, the parties are putting up posters of the rally. In one of the posters, MNS has printed Ajit Pawar's photo, indicating that he is also supporting their stand. Interacting with reporters on the issue in his hometown Baramati, Ajit Pawar said, "We will be discussing this issue in the cabinet meeting next week, which will be held just before the beginning of the assembly session.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Not in favour of making Hindi must, says Maha deputy CM Ajit Pawar
PUNE: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar Saturday said he is not in favour of making Hindi compulsory from Class I, amid calls for a protest march by the estranged Thackeray cousins against the state govt's April 16 decision to introduce Hindi as the possible third language in govt schools from Class I. ' I made my stand on Hindi clear in Mumbai a few days ago. There is no opposition to Marathi being the compulsory language from Standard I, as it is the mother tongue of Maharashtra. Now, the trend of learning English has picked up. After Standard V, parents should be allowed to decide on the third language. Generally, in Maharashtra, along with Marathi and English, students choose Hindi as the third language,' he said. Amid growing protests, CM Devendra Fadnavis announced that Hindi would not be made compulsory. In a revised order, state govt said Hindi would generally be the third language, but in cases where a different language is preferred, a minimum of 20 students would need to opt for it. The Thackeray cousins have called on all political parties and Marathi celebrities to join their protest rally in Mumbai on July 5. Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS party workers have launched a campaign to mobilise a large crowd for the rally. In addition to social media posts, posters are being put up across the city. One such MNS poster features a photo of Ajit, implying that he supports their stance. Speaking to reporters in his hometown of Baramati, Ajit said, 'We will be discussing this issue in the cabinet meeting next week, just before the assembly session.'
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Lyon owner Textor to step back from club management
By Fernando Kallas HT Image PHILADELPHIA, - American businessman John Textor plans to step back from the day-to-day management of Olympique Lyonnais following the club's relegation to Ligue 2, which was confirmed after a meeting with French football's financial watchdog this week. Textor, who owns the French club through his Eagle Football Group, revealed his decision in an interview with Brazil's TV Globo on Saturday, shortly before his Brazilian side Botafogo lost 1-0 to Palmeiras in the Club World Cup, saying he could have dealt better with French football politics. Lyon's demotion was provisionally announced by the DNCG in November due to financial irregularities and was confirmed on Tuesday. Textor said the club would appeal against the decision and that Lyon's financial position remained strong despite the ruling. "I will tell you that we're very well capitalised in France," Textor told TV Globo. "It's clear that I've been much better on the pitch than managing France. I have not been so good at the politics of France. I think that's well known. So the process is, for me, as an American capitalist, adjusting to that system." Textor said his focus would shift towards broader responsibilities within Eagle Football Group which also includes Botafogo and formerly included a 43% stake in English club Crystal Palace, sold earlier this week. "I am going to spend a lot more time focusing on Eagle Global, coming back frankly a bit more to Botafogo," he said. "I've got very good partners in the Eagle Football Group shareholders who are going to take a lead on dealing with some of the issues that I have frankly not been very good at dealing with." Despite Lyon's relegation, Textor highlighted the club's recent achievements, including back-to-back qualifications for the Europa League, and reassured fans about their financial stability. "We've never been more liquid in cash. But there are things in the process I did that disappointed the governing bodies there that we need to fix," Textor said. "We did pass through the financial sustainability review with UEFA, which is quite a comprehensive process. So the fact that we didn't pass through France has more to do with some of the specific elements that I brought to the table that I should have improved." Textor hinted at a potential acquisition in the United Kingdom to replace the Crystal Palace stake. "We have our U.K. strategy where we need to look at who our new club is. What are we going to buy there? What's the partnership? Because it's that collaboration between the clubs that's been so successful for us," he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
