Pope Leo poses with White Sox ‘Pope Hat’ in Vatican

Pope Leo XIV wasn’t at Rate Field when the Chicago White Sox unveiled the “Pope Hat” as a giveaway two weeks ago.

But the team made sure the hat made its way into the pontiff’s hands.

Pope Leo posed with the “Pope Hat” in a picture posted to X by the White Sox’s team account Thursday morning.

“The White Sox Pope Hat has officially landed at the Vatican,” the White Sox tweeted.

The White Sox Pope Hat has officially landed at the Vatican 🤝 pic.twitter.com/vcWoF9lzg9

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 27, 2026

In the photo, Pope Leo — born Robert Prevost, a diehard White Sox fan from south suburban Dolton, Ill. — was holding the hat and smiling while standing with Father Tom McCarthy, also from Chicago.

The hat was a hit when the White Sox gave away almost 40,000 of the mitre hats emblazoned with their logo and lappets on the back on Aug. 11. The giveaway drew an announced crowd of 38,113.

The White Sox haven’t been bashful about boasting their connection to Pope Leo, who was elected leader of the Catholic Church last year. They put up a mural of him in the ballpark and held a Mass there in his honor.

The pope’s connection comes during a surprisingly prosperous season for the White Sox, who have stunned many to go 70-63 and sit atop the American League Central.

In June, former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski presented Pope Leo with the baseball from the final out in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. The Pope had attended that game, and the White Sox went on to sweep the Houston Astros for the South Side’s first title since 1917. Former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko had previously gifted the pontiff a signed jersey with “Pope Leo” written on the back.