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Last month, American cardinal Robert Prevost, a native of Chicago's South Side, was elected the new pope. He is the first American pope and he took Pope Leo XIV as his papal name. Soon thereafter, it was confirmed Prevost is a White Sox fan, not a Cubs fan as the other Chicago team initially claimed. He was even spotted in the crowd of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series.

On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV took his baseball fandom to the Vatican. The 69-year-old Prevost was photographed wearing a classic White Sox hat during his weekly general audience. Check it out:

Not surprisingly, the White Sox have extended an open invitation to Pope Leo XIV. He is welcome to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Rate Field whenever he wants. If he does it, he has to do it in full vestments. The vibes would be immaculate.

"He has an open invite to throw out a first pitch," White Sox executive vice president  Brooks Boyer told MLB.com last month. "Heck, maybe we'll let him get an at-bat."

The White Sox are again very bad this year, though they have been better since Prevost was elected pope. They snapped a four-game losing streak the next day and are 13-16 during the Pope Leo XIV era. Respectable, that is. The White Sox were 10-28 before Prevost's election. The pope is a good person to have on your side, apparently.

The new pope's White Sox fandom marks the latest chapter in an interesting history between the game of baseball and the Catholic Church. Several popes have held Mass at MLB stadiums, with Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Candlestick Park, Camden Yards and Nationals Park among the parks that have welcomed His Holiness through the years.