Stadium seat in Chicago acquires notoriety: The location where the future pope attended his first World Series game in 2005
Pope Leo XIV's Chicago Connection: A Tribute to a Lifelong White Sox Fan
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Father Bob, has a deep-rooted connection with the city of Chicago, particularly with the Chicago White Sox. This connection was celebrated recently, as the team marked a stadium seat where the pope watched the first game of the 2005 World Series.
The event took place on Father's Day weekend in 2005, when King's son urged him to attend a Mass in honour of Pope Leo's election at Rate Field. Little did they know that they would be part of a memorable moment in sports history.
The Chicago Archdiocese hosted the Mass in honour of Pope Leo's election, and it was during this gathering that the pope found himself seated next to a father and son who still hold season seats to White Sox games.
It appears that Pope Leo has been a fan of the Chicago White Sox for a long time. In fact, he has attended some of their games in the past. His childhood home in Dolton is now being turned into a historical site by the city, a testament to his enduring connection with the area.
The pope served as the prior general of the Augustinian order from 2001 to 2013. Afterwards, he served as administrator and bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, and was later made a cardinal in 2023. Despite his busy schedule, he has found time to celebrate Masses and preside over confirmations, ordinations, and other prelates' duties in Chicago.
Christine O'Reilly, the White Sox vice president for community relations, explained that the team wanted to memorialize the event for fans. Many of her family members graduated from St. Rita's, an Augustinian-run school on the Southside, where Pope Leo was friends with the Schmidts.
The team traced back the pope's location in the stadium by reviewing game broadcast footage. The marked seat is located in row 19 of section 140 inside U.S. Cellular Field on Chicago's Southside. A plaque and markers including the pope's image have been placed on the back of the forest green seat.
Richard King, another Southside White Sox fan, finds the pope being a fan to be "fun." Jim Keating, a diehard White Sox fan and lifelong Chicago Southside resident, has close connections to the pope, especially during game one of the 2005 World Series.
Unfortunately, there is no reliable information available about where the stadium ticket of Pope Leo XIV from the game on August 22, 2005, in Chicago was kept or when it was issued to a public place. However, the marking of the seat serves as a reminder of the special moment when the pope, then known as Father Bob, watched the White Sox win their first World Series game in 88 years.
