Leader of 1.4 billion spotted in bizarre scene as video goes viral
Footage of a global leader making an under-the-radar public appearance is spreading across the internet with eagle-eyed fans spotting the figure.
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The new Pope is a White Sox fan.
Recently resurfaced footage has revealed that Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series in Chicago wearing Chicago White Sox gear.
The self-professed baseball enthusiast was this week elected this week to become the first American-born Pope following the recent death of Pope Francis.
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In the video that has been swirling around cyberspace, the new pontiff is seen among fans during the White Sox’s 5-3 victory over the Astros, a game that set the tone for the team’s first World Series title since 1917.
The TV broadcast of the game made the intriguing decision to turn the camera onto the future holiness when he was standing with a child and a friend during a tense moment in the game.
You can watch the under-the-radar appearance in the video player above.
As reported by The New York Post, the discovery of the video has delighted many, highlighting the Pope’s fandom of the Sox, as well as his overall connection to sport.
On Saturday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell playfully suggested that Leo should be worried about helping the Chicago Bulls in the NBA draft lottery.
His cheeky suggestion didn’t pay off on Tuesday with the Bulls finishing the lottery with the No. 12 pick.
The iconic NBA franchise only had an eight per cent chance of moving into the top four, with a 1.7 per cent chance of obtaining the No. 1 overall pick, which is likely to be Duke’s Cooper Flagg.
Meanwhile, Leo’s brother, John, confirmed the Pope’s allegiance to the White Sox, noting that their household had diverse baseball loyalties, with their mother favouring the Cubs and their father supporting the Cardinals.
“He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from,” Prevost said earlier this week with WGN-TV.
“He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan. I don’t know, maybe that clued in there and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where all that came from.
A fan even arrived to Friday’s White Sox game dressed as Leo.
American fans have been blown away by the footage of Leo XIV in the stands.
“This is still funny to me,” one White Sox fan posted on X alongside a video of the Pontiff blending in with the crowd.
The popular MLF account on X — which has more than 340,000 followers — said it was “crazy footage”.
Former New York City mayor and former close confidante of US President Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani called it “must watch” footage.
The White Sox, just 11-28 on the season, even won on Saturday, defeating the Marlins, 6-2.
— This story originally appeared on The New York Post and has been republished with permission
Originally published as Leader of 1.4 billion spotted in bizarre scene as video goes viral
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