St. Louis Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III and his wife, Ira, met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this week, presenting the first American-born pontiff with a Cardinals jersey customized with “Pope Leo XIV” and the number 25. Video shared by Rome Reports shows a lighthearted exchange and the handoff during the audience.
The moment doubled as a nod to the Pope’s Midwestern baseball roots. Born Robert Francis Prevost on Chicago’s South Side, Leo XIV has been identified by his family as a lifelong White Sox fan, though his father rooted for the Cardinals. This detail helped spark friendly banter with the St. Louis visitors.
The jersey presentation also carried a St. Louis connection from the Pope’s past. As an Augustinian novice in the late 1970s, Prevost spent about a year in St. Louis at Immaculate Conception in the Gate District while in formation, one of several early stops on the path that would eventually lead to his election as Pope Leo XIV on May 8, 2025.
Sports are a common language. A pope who can talk Sox, Cubs, or Cards lowers the barrier for casual audiences and non-Catholics, especially in U.S. cities where baseball is a civic identity. The St. Louis jersey moment is precisely that kind of approachable symbolism.
We have been writing about the Pope’s connection to baseball through his Sox fandom for months. Public glimpses of team allegiance make a global religious leader feel relatable, which is helpful for engagement in a media ecosystem that rewards authenticity.
Given that Leo XIV spent formative time in St. Louis and Chicago, lighthearted sports moments allowed him to acknowledge his American roots and Midwestern ties without wading into policy, which is helpful for a Pope navigating the symbolism of being the first from the United States.
