Pope Leo, a White Sox devotee, welcomes team's playoff return

Pope Leo, a longtime supporter of the Chicago White Sox, greeted news of the club's return to the Major League Baseball playoffs with a smile — but declined to say whether any higher power had a hand in it.

Asked by a journalist on Friday whether a little papal intervention with God had helped the team, the pope replied: "No comment." He then added, smiling: "Great things happen in Chicago."

The exchange took place on his flight from Rome to Paris, ahead of a weekend visit to France.

The White Sox, who sit second in the American League's central division, secured their playoff spot on Thursday with a 9-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. It is the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2021.

Leo, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, has been a devoted follower of the South Siders for years. Shortly after his election as pope in May 2025, video surfaced of him cheering for the team during the 2005 World Series — the last time the club won baseball's top prize.

Vatican officials did not comment on whether a television had been seen switched on in the pope's apartment in the apostolic palace on the night the berth was clinched.