Leo’s Papal Wardrobe Includes An Unexpected Sports Jersey Collection

When Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV in May, it wasn’t just the election of the first U.S.-born pontiff that captivated the world. It was also that unmistakable Chicago flavor — the city that formed him — and his love for baseball.

It’s those hometown ties have set off a steady procession of gifts, most of them in the form of sports jerseys, from those who have visited the Vatican in recent months.

In just under seven months, the new pontiff has curated a jersey collection worthy of a sports museum or a Windy City man cave. Each of these jerseys, often delivered by dignitaries or guests from the U.S., reveals something about Leo XIV’s identity as both a pastor and a fan.

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Nothing speaks to that identity more clearly than his devotion to the Chicago White Sox. Leo XIV’s fandom reach stretches far beyond baseball. Less than two weeks into his papacy, Vice President J.D. Vance gave the pope a Chicago Bears jersey.

“Good choice,” the pope joked.

In September, Tennessee Rep. Cameron Sexton arrived at the Vatican with a Volunteers football jersey — bearing the No. 14 and “Pope Leo” across the back — as a goodwill gesture.

There are known link between Leo and the University of Tennessee athletics, but the gift underscored how his papacy has already become a meeting place for both faith and community.

Soccer, Italy’s most-popular sport, added its own chapter to this jersey cavalcade in late May when newly-crowned league champions Napoli visited the Vatican.

Club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis handed over a sky-blue shirt signed by the entire team and marked with the iconic No. 10 — long reserved for the game’s creative maestros — along with “Papa Leone XIV” emblazoned on the back.

In his remarks, the pope, who is reportedly a Roma fan, praised the virtues of teamwork, discipline and education — reminding everyone that sport, at its best, forms character.

He also dropped a bombshell.

“The press says I am an AS Roma fan, but you are welcome! This is what the press says. Not everything you read in the press is true,” the pope added.

Then came one of the more unexpected jerseys: A New York Knicks jersey presented last month by filmmaker and superfan Spike Lee. Personalized with “Pope Leo” and the No. 14, Lee, with a large grin, noted the pope’s Villanova connection to several of his favorite Knicks players: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.

“I gave the pope a New York Knick jersey. He’s XIV pope so No. 14, and the back said Pope Leo. … The Pope went to Villanova … and the Knicks have three players that went to Villanova,” Lee told reporters afterward the papal meeting.

As Lee’s gift highlighted, not every jersey has to fit neatly into the pope’s sporting loyalties.

Mar Awa III, the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, delivered a Chicago Cubs jersey — committed an innocent misfire given Leo’s well-documented Sox devotion.

He gave the pope a Cubs jersey. The awkward moment was met with humor.

In addition, Pope Leo has also received a Chicago Bulls jersey, a Gaelic football jersey, a Buffalo Bills jersey from Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher, a Kansas City Royals jersey from former major leaguer Mike Sweeney and a Giro D’Italia bike shirt. Pilgrims visiting St. Peter’s Square have even tossed jerseys at the pope as a gift.

Beyond these exchanges, the pope’s image has now inspired a jersey of its own.

Catholic Imprint has unveiled a limited-edition “Pope Leo” baseball jersey — with proceeds going to Catholic Charities — turning a piece of apparel into a celebration of faith and the enduring bond between a pope and the place where he was raised.

It also makes for a wonderful Christmas gift — one even this pope would like to have for his ever-growing jersey collection.

Clemente Lisi is executive editor at Religion Unplugged.