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Pope Leo XIV brings hope to Chicago sports fans, and the Knicks for their Villanova ties

Pope Leo XIV brings hope to Chicago sports fans, and the Knicks for their Villanova ties
LANDED HIM IN AN ORANGE JUMPSUIT RIGHT NOW AT 6. >> IN >> A HISTORIC DAY AS THE CONCLAVE SELECT THE 267 HOPE. CHEERS AND TEARS OF JOY. HE WILL BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. HE WILL BE A CALMING VOICE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. AN AMERICAN CARDINAL WILL LEAD THE MORE THAN ONE AND A HALF BILLION CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD >> AND HE JUST SO HAPPENS TO HAVE A BROTHER AND CLOSE FRIENDS WHO LIVE ON THE GULF COAST. >> WE USED YOU KNOW, TO USE THEM, YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE POPE ONE DAY. >> HAHA, IS THAT, YOU IT JUST HAD ABOUT HIM. >> BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT, HISTORY IS MADE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS A NEW POPE. THE FIRST AMERICAN EVER ELECTED TO LEAD THE WORLD'S CATHOLICS. AND POPE LEO HAS FAMILY ON THE GULF COAST. GOOD EVENING. I'M KELLY BYRNE AND I'M PETER BUSCH. WHAT ARE THE ODDS? POPE LEO, THE 14TH WAS IN NAPLES JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO. >> AND HAS A BROTHER WHO LIVES IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY TONIGHT. GULF COAST NEWS HAS LIVE TEAM COVERAGE. WE'RE SPEAKING TO THAT BROTHER AND THE FORMER AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE FRANCIS ROONEY WHO RECENTLY HAD DINNER WITH THE NEW POPE IN NAPLES. BUT WE START IN PORT CHARLOTTE, MUHAMMAD ABDUL CALL WE JUST SPOKE TO THE BROTHER OF POPE LEO, THE 14. >> IT WAS AN AMAZING CONVERSATION AT BOOK FINISHED TALKING TO HIM ABOUT WELL, SAY 15 MINUTES AGO AND HE WAS TOLD ME THAT HE CALLED OUT SICK TODAY BECAUSE HE DIDN'T FEEL GOOD. I COULDN'T TEAR THAT IN HIS VOICE, BUT HE TOLD ME THAT HE HEARD THE NEWS LIKE THE REST OF US LIKE ON THE TV. HE SAID THAT HE WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS TO HOP. AND I WANT YOU TO TAKE A BRIEF. LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION I JUST HAD TO HIM MOMENTS AGO. SHOCKING, SURPRISING. EXCITING. I IT'S I'M ALMOST SPEECHLESS. IT'S JUST MIND BLOWING THAT MY BROTHER WAS ELECTED POPE TODAY. AND WHEN THE CARDINAL CAME OUT AND STARTED TO READ HIS NAME AS SOON AS THE ONE RULE, I KNEW, YOU KNOW, HE WAS GOING TO SAY ROBERTO AND HE DID. AND JUST FREAKED OUT AND SAID IT'S FROM, OH, MY GOD. AND I WAS UP DRESSED OUT. JUST GOING NUTS TO SEE THIS COMING. YES, AND NO YOU PROBABLY HEARD BEFORE. WE'VE KIND OF KNOWN HE WAS SPECIAL. AND WE USED TO TEASE HIM ABOUT BEING POPE WHEN HE WAS 6 YEARS OLD AND STUFF. AND THEN WHEN HE BECAME CARDINAL. THE RUMORS FLOATING AROUND IN ROOM AT THE TIME WAS. HE IS LIKE ONE IN 3 CHANCE OF BECOMING POPE. IT'S INCREDIBLE. IT'S AWESOME. IT'S NICE TO SEE. I JUST HOPE. OTHERS, YOU KNOW, HERE AND OVERSEAS THAT IT DOESN'T TURN POLITICAL BECAUSE YOU HE'S AN AMERICAN. HE'S GONNA SCREW THE CHURCH UP. HOPEFULLY THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. AND IT JUST KEEP NATIONALITIES NATIONALISM OUT OF IT. AND LET'S JUST THE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. NOW, HIS BROTHER TOLD ME THAT HE WAS TRYING TO FLY THE ROOM. THE TICKETS ARE A LITTLE BIT EXPENSIVE. SO HE'S GONNA LEAVE IT ALONE BECAUSE HE THINKS THAT HIS BROTHER WILL BE A LITTLE TOO BUSY. HOWEVER, HE TOLD ME WHEN THEY DO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WHENEVER HE MEETS HIM, HE TOLD ME THAT IT WILL BE AN AMAZING CONVERSATION. WE'LL HAVE MORE TONIGHT AT 11:00PM FOR NOW REPORTING LIVE IN LOCAL TONIGH
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Pope Leo XIV brings hope to Chicago sports fans, and the Knicks for their Villanova ties
The sports loyalties of Pope Leo XIV became a topic of conversation almost as soon as the white smoke emerged from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.Elected on Thursday, Robert Prevost is the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church. The Chicago-born missionary, who took the name Leo XIV, also attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1977.Chicago's two baseball teams were front and center as sports fans reacted to the news.It was initially reported that the new pope was a Cubs fan. The team congratulated Pope Leo XIV in a post on X that had a picture of Wrigley Field's iconic marquee with the message: HEY, CHICAGO. HE'S A CUBS FAN!But his brother, John Prevost, set the record straight in an interview with WGN-TV. The pope is a White Sox fan.“He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,” John said, adding that the confusion might stem from the fact their mother’s side of the family were North Siders and Cubs fans.The TV interview had White Sox fans wondering about the pope's ability to convince owner Jerry Reinsdorf to sell the last-place team.The organization welcomed the clarification from the pope's brother.“Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields,” the White Sox said in a statement. “Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark.”Long-suffering Bears fans weighed in, too.Video below: A tour of the school in Chicago where Pope Leo XIV received his diploma in theologyOne remarked on X that Chicago developed a pope before the Bears developed a quarterback. Another said the Bears now have a direct line to God. And another said the Bears no longer will be on the wrong side of Hail Marys, a reference to Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ 52-yard Hail Mary completion to Noah Brown to beat the Bears in October.The election of the new pope coincides with a trio of former Villanova players leading the New York Knicks on an NBA playoff run. It didn't take long for a photoshopped picture of the four of them together to show up on social media.The Knicks erased 20-point deficits in winning Games 1 and 2 against the defending champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.Now fans are praying the combination of the Villanova guys and the new pope can help the team to its first NBA title since 1973.

The sports loyalties of Pope Leo XIV became a topic of conversation almost as soon as the white smoke emerged from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.

Elected on Thursday, Robert Prevost is the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church. The Chicago-born missionary, who took the name Leo XIV, also attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1977.

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Chicago's two baseball teams were front and center as sports fans reacted to the news.

It was initially reported that the new pope was a Cubs fan. The team congratulated Pope Leo XIV that had a picture of Wrigley Field's iconic marquee with the message: HEY, CHICAGO. HE'S A CUBS FAN!

But his brother, John Prevost, set the record straight in an interview with WGN-TV. The pope is a White Sox fan.

“He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,” John said, adding that the confusion might stem from the fact their mother’s side of the family were North Siders and Cubs fans.

The TV interview had White Sox fans wondering about the pope's ability to convince owner Jerry Reinsdorf to sell the last-place team.

The organization welcomed the clarification from the pope's brother.

“Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields,” the White Sox said in a statement. “Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark.”

Long-suffering Bears fans weighed in, too.

Video below: A tour of the school in Chicago where Pope Leo XIV received his diploma in theology

One remarked on X that before the Bears developed a quarterback. Another said the And another said the Bears no longer will be on the , a reference to Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ 52-yard Hail Mary completion to Noah Brown to beat the Bears in October.

The election of the new pope coincides with a trio of former Villanova players leading the New York Knicks on an NBA playoff run. It didn't take long for a of the four of them together to show up on social media.

The Knicks erased 20-point deficits in winning Games 1 and 2 against the defending champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Now fans are praying the combination of the Villanova guys and can help the team to its first NBA title since 1973.