Although the Roman Catholic Church lost a beloved leader when the late Pope Francis passed away, a lot of people immediately gravitated to his successor, Leo XIV. The thing is, he’s now hobby-official after a Pokemon card signed by him has gone viral.
A few days ago, a Pokemon card featuring Popplio surfaced online. What sets it apart is a signature that’s claimed to belong to Pope Leo XIV. Turns out, it is his actual signature on the card that’s making the rounds online.
As seen in a post shared by Fanatics Collect’s Instagram aacount, a collector who goes by the handle of @ItsMeKingTheo uploaded two photos. The first of which is the Popplio Pokemon card with Leo XIV’s signature on it, and a second one with a man kneeling before the new Pope.
Jun 14, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; General signage of Pope Leo XIV is seen prior to the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Catholic mass hosted at Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. / Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY NETWORK
The Pokemon featured on the signed card is a water-type from the franchise’s seventh-generation. It was first seen in Pokemon Sun and Moon, a game meant for Nintendo’s 3DS handheld consoles.
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From there, card enthusiasts took to social media and shared their thoughts about this development. These reactions can be seen from the same Instagram post Fanatics Collect shared.
“Blessed Carlos Acutis approves! 🙌,” a fan said. “We got Pope signed Pokemon cards before GTA6,” another joked.
A supporter mentioned, “Holy water type.”
“The real “holy grail ” 🤣🤣,” a follower jested.
“Grade it lol,” a commenter posted.
“Had to get on his knees for the autograph😂😂 still cool though,” a sixth social media user reacted.
While reactions from card enthusiasts continue to pour in, there has been none from the Vatican itself. Nevertheless, collectors can’t deny how awesome it is to own a card that almost has the same name as Leo XIV and is signed by him.
May 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Fans walk by fandom of Pope Leo XIV with graphics before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers at Rate Field / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
With reactions to the signed Pokemon card growing, collectors had no certainty whether the signature came from the Pope himself or not. Fortunately, there’s a pretty good story behind all the hype.
In an article by Rhiannon Bevan for The Gamer, the individual who originally posted the photos isn’t the actual owner of the card. The tweet on X that started it all was requested to be deleted by someone who claims to be the card owner’s friend.
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That is now backed up by a different individual with a Reddit handle of ReptileCake, who now claims to be the true owner of the Popplio Pokemon card. In a response posted on the said platform, Reptile Cake shared a photo of the card with his handle and date written on a piece of paper to prove its authenticity.
“Hey guys, just wanna say that the guy in the pic is not me, please refrain from sharing pictures of him,” ReptileCake wrote on Reddit.
A worker at the Catholic Diocese of Lubbock looks on at a photo of the newly selected Pope Leo XIV at a news conference hosted by Bishop Robert Coerver on May 8, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born pope. / Mateo Rosiles/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Furthermore, another user on X backed up the claim that the original poster of the said card stole the content and claimed it on social media.
Thanks to these responses, it’s safe to say that the true owner of the Pokemon card hasn’t gone public yet with his/her identity. Nevertheless, there are no allegations, though, about the authenticity of the signature after all ownership claims. This means that the said signed card can be a great chase if it hits the market.
Those interested in Pope Leo XIV cards can hunt for his Topps Now in the market, including a rare One of One card of him. Otherwise, collectors will either have to wait for the signed Popplio card to go public or find one for the Pope to sign himself.