A photo of Pope Leo XIV wearing a Chicago White Sox hat is going viral

The first American pope, Leo XIV, has already been seen in Chicago White Sox paraphernalia.

When the Fox Sports camera panned to the crowd during the ninth inning of its broadcast of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, it happened to land on Robert Prevost — the future Pope — watching the proceedings at Rate Field.

Twenty years later, the Pontiff was caught wearing a White Sox hat again — this time, along with the rest of his Papal regalia.

The White Sox gave their blessing to an apparently authentic photo that made the social media rounds Wednesday morning by sharing it to their Twitter/X account.

The White Sox have already done plenty to capitalize on their unexpected connection to thousands of years of Catholic church history.

The team marked the Rate Field seat once graced by Leo XIV, chosen by the Cardinals in May, and unveiled artwork at the ballpark honoring him shortly after his election. They also announced plans to host a Catholic Mass this Sunday.

MORE: Fox Sports scores massive hit with Red Sox-Yankees telecast

While much of the church's millions of adherents wondered silently or aloud what was on the Pope's head Wednesday, the answer was immediately obvious to millions of Americans regardless of their faith.

Elect an American pope and get a dash of baseball whether you want it or not. Those are the rules.

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