Pope Leo XIV’s Chicago roots has Bears fans feeling very hopeful about the Caleb Williams era
Robert Zeglinski
For The Win
Editor’s note: This post has been updated to reflect new information and reporting.
The very nature of the internet means we were probably always going to see the announcement of Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th pope — a.k.a. Pope Leo XIV — treated like that of a top NFL Draft prospect, as he had his old social media posts combed through.
Already, with the New York Knicks and their Villanova-built team riding high up 2-0 over the Boston Celtics in the second round, Knicks fans think Pope Leo XIV’s Villanova ties are a good omen. Of course, Pope Leo is originally from Chicago, and we had clarity about him actually being a Chicago White Sox fan, which tracks.But the real story here is almost certainly Pope Leo’s likely affinity for the usually hapless but beloved Chicago Bears. At this point in time, we don’t have direct confirmation that he does actively root for the Monsters of the Midway. However, it stands to reason that if Pope Leo pays attention to the White Sox, he’s probably a Bears fan on some level, too. That’s because it’s very hard to separate both parties if you’re a dedicated sports fan in the city of Chicago.
Naturally, Pope Leo’s Chicago ties sound like great news for Bears fans who are hoping Caleb Williams is the franchise’s first genuine franchise quarterback in decades, who could usher in an era marked by consistent success at worst, and a litany of Super Bowl championships at best. There’s a distinct possibility that the Pope is just as excited about Williams as the rest of the city, which is wild to think about Of course, all around, it’d likely be impossible not to feel a little hopeful as a Bears fan that the new head of the Catholic Church likely also bleeds blue and orange every fall Sunday
