It’s not every day Chicago-style pizza ends up in Vatican City—hand-delivered to the pope himself. But that’s exactly what happened when two people brought Aurelio’s Pizza to St. Peter’s Square, catching the attention (and thumbs-up) of Pope Leo XIV. ChicagoNOW is a fast-paced, conversational show that spotlights what’s trending in and around Chicago.
CHICAGO – It’s not every day that a pizza from the Chicago suburbs winds up in the hands of the Pope. But that’s exactly what happened when two determined fans of Aurelio’s Pizza delivered a pie from the iconic Homewood location to Pope Francis himself in Vatican City.
The viral moment began with Jaden of Ohio and his friend Madeleine, who made it their mission to bring Chicago’s beloved “za” overseas.
The duo picked up a pie, packed it in dry ice, and hand-delivered it to the Pontiff during an event for youth and digital missionaries in Rome. The Pope, recognizing the familiar Aurelio’s shield, reportedly had his security detail retrieve the pizza right from the crowd.
A thumbs-up and smile soon followed.
From Father Bob to Pope Francis
The backstory:
This wasn’t Pope Francis’ first brush with Aurelio’s.
Before he was known to the world as the Pope, he was simply “Father Bob,” a familiar face around Homewood with deep ties to the area. His father and brother lived nearby, and he had a long-standing friendship with local clergy, not to mention, a taste for a good slice.
Joe Aurelio, CEO of the legendary pizzeria chain, called the entire event surreal.
“I’m here in Michigan with family reunion and all of a sudden I’m getting texts and phone calls. It’s like, ‘Did you see it?’ It’s like, ‘No, what’s going on?’ And they said, ‘The Pope was handed a pizza. He stopped the car, he had to secret, you know, service, go grab the pizzas from the people. And he held it up, gave the thumbs up.’ And I mean, I was elated, and then I started calling my people back home and saying, ‘You know, we’ve got to follow up. We have to find this gentleman and this lady that made this happen and definitely reward them. Probably free pizza for life or something,” said Aurelio.
The Birth of the “Pope-roni”
What we know:
In true Chicago fashion, Aurelio’s is running with the buzz.
The shop has created a new specialty item called the “Poperoni Pizza”, featuring their signature pepperoni with a twist: spicy “cup and crisp” pepperoni slices that curl up like mini papal hats.
“I don’t think anybody’s been so excited about a pope in recent years than Chicago and so it’s really amazing,” said Aurelio.
The restaurant even trademarked the name Poperoni and released themed T-shirts.
According to Aurelio, there are plans to get shirts and polos into Vatican hands, and even possibly into the Pope’s own wardrobe.
A Viral Moment That United the City
While the pizza hand-off wasn’t orchestrated by the business, it sparked a wave of community pride and international attention.
Aurelio’s franchisees are buzzing, and Chicagoans are celebrating one of their own getting such a heavenly shout-out.
The Source: The information from this article came from an interview with Joe Aurelio on ChicagoNOW.