Here on earth the Chicago White Sox are off to another challenging start, but a better place awaits. Last month’s papal election brought us Robert Prevost, better known as Pope Leo XIV, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Sovereign of the Vatican City State—and lifelong White Sox fan. So even as they suffer to an 18–42 record, last in the American League, the White Sox can hope for reprieve in the afterlife.
But in the meantime, they believe they see a path forward. Just as the Los Angeles Dodgers and DH Shohei Ohtani have taken over Japan, the White Sox hope to become Vatican City’s team.
Frankly, though, they have some work to do to get there.
The Italian peninsula has not historically been much of a baseball hotbed. There has never been a major leaguer born in Vatican City, and there have only been two Italians this century—third baseman Alex Liddi, of Sanremo, who played for the Seattle Mariners from 2011 through ’13, and lefty Sam Aldegheri, of Verona, who pitches for the Los Angeles Angels.
The White Sox themselves are something of underdogs, the perpetual little brother to the more popular Chicago Cubs, and the 2024 loser of a major league–record 121 games. So they took some pleasure in watching their local rival claim that he was a Cubs fan—and then have to walk the statement back. The Washington Post’s former Rome bureau chief Chico Harlan reported that, four hours after being elected, Pope Leo responded to a friend’s request for clarification with one word: “Sox.”
But now it’s time to get to work. White Sox officials admit they have not yet begun the process of establishing an academy in the area. (L'Accademia, the famous art gallery that houses Michelangelo’s David, lies some 170 miles south in Florence and would likely not be suitable.) They have also not yet assigned scouts to cover the Holy See, whose population of 882 would probably not require too many eyes. “I’m not sure from the baseball development standpoint that we're gonna, like, tap into an untapped market,” says general manager Chris Getz, overlooking the fact that the College of Cardinals has never lost a game in conference play. (Still, the youngest current cardinal is 45 years old—one month older than even Kansas City Royals pitcher Rich Hill—and in an era of performance-enhancing drug testing, the aging curve is not in his favor.) The 135 Swiss Guards might offer a better option: They must be between 19 and 30 years old, at least 5’ 8.5” tall and of “irreproachable health.” There should be at least one lefty with a sweeper in there.
But perhaps the problem is not one of ability but one of marketing. Not everyone in Vatican City may have considered baseball as a realistic career path. “Maybe we could put out a memo,” offers reliever Mike Vasil. “You know, ‘We’re looking for talent.’”
Righty Jonathan Cannon suggests, “Maybe MLB will do a game over in Rome for us.” (Chicago could play Atlanta, who could assume the identities of their Single A affiliate for the day: the Rome, Ga., Emperors.)
It’s a good point: Developing young players might take time, but they could pick up fans much more quickly. Stadio Olimpico, which has hosted an Olympics, a World Cup and three European Championships, could work. But why leave the Vatican at all? At about 650 feet long by about 500 feet wide inside its columns, St. Peter’s Square is a bit smaller than the Rate but could easily accommodate the minor league ballparks in which the Tampa Bay Rays (George M. Steinbrenner Field) and the Las Vegas Athletics of Sacramento (Sutter Health Park) are spending the season. The ancient Egyptian obelisk in the center of the piazza, brought to town from Alexandria in 40 AD by Emperor Caligula, would create interesting ground-rule opportunities. And no offense to the Campfire Milkshake, the highlight of last season, but it’s hard to top gelato as a concession-stand item.
And once they catch White Sox fever, those fans will stick around. One estimate has nearly 90% of Japanese tourists to Los Angeles visiting Dodger Stadium. It’s hard to find data on visitors from Vatican City, but more than 1.1 million Italians traveled to the United States last year; surely some percentage of them could be persuaded to brave deep-dish pizza to catch a game at Rate Field.
Still, there’s room for more. A Vatican City Connect jersey? A Pope Leo XIV bobblehead? White Sox catching coach and Catholic school alum Drew Butera has an innovative idea: staging a “throw harder than the Pope” competition. Now that’s the sort of creativity we’re looking for.
Butera, by the way, rejects the idea that the White Sox have missed an opportunity by not throwing themselves into the outreach. “We haven’t missed it,” he says. “We’re still brainstorming.”
They see opportunities in the U.S., as well. “We’re expanding our market, our fan base,” says Getz. “It’s greater than, perhaps, just Chicago or a connection to Chicago. Now it’s like Notre Dame: If you’re Catholic, you gotta root for Notre Dame!”
In the meantime, they hope to develop a personal relationship with the Pope. Many players are tickled at the thought that the most famous person alive knows who they are, although some are skeptical of his level of attention at this point in the rebuild.
“Does he have CHSN?” asks right fielder Mike Tauchman, pointing out the seven-hour time difference. “Is he checking box scores?”
If Butera has his way, the answer to both will be yes. “I don’t think he knows who I am,” he says. “He will, though.” Two days after Leo’s election, Butera suggested that the Pope should throw out the first pitch at a game. He has not yet heard back, but he plans to escalate his campaign. He says he will continue posting on X until someone notices him, and he has sweetened his offer: He’d like the Pope to preside over Mass at the players’ weekly service. (The video Mass scheduled to play on the Jumbotron at Rate Field next month is a good start, but the White Sox can do better.)
“We have a nice Catholic following,” Butera says. “We do Mass every Sunday, right behind the visitors’ bullpen. They have a little tunnel in there.”
And in any case, they believe that their rebuild—the team has not won a playoff series since the 2005 World Series, which Prevost attended—makes them a good fit for Leo’s teachings. “He was voted in to become the Pope,” says Getz. “I would imagine he operates with patience, with love, with care. And we’re kind of the perfect team for developing patience in human beings.” Amen.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as White Sox Pray Pope Leo Brings Baseball to Vatican City.