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The new pope isn’t just from America, he’s from Chicago — a fact that social media users are eating up like it's deep-dish pizza.
Robert Prevost became the 267th pope on Thursday. Pope Leo XIV, as he will be known, was born in Chicago, making him the first American to ever be elected by the Conclave in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history.
Outside the Sistine Chapel, cheers erupted in the packed Vatican City, where many awaited who would be named as Pope Francis.
Online, social media users flooded the internet with memes and jokes about the city he’s from, including its signature deep dish pizza, its beloved but often disappointing sports teams, and all things Chicago.
Everyone everywhere seems to be more than happy to lean into his Chicago roots.
Even former president Barack Obama congratulated the new pope as a “fellow Chicagoan.” He wrote: “This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith.”
If there’s one thing that ties Italy and Chicago together, it’s pizza.
“Finally Rome will have good pizza,” one X user remarked.
“Deep Dish beat Pizzaballa,” another quipped, referring to Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who was considered a contender to lead the Catholic Church.
Comedian Jon Lovett joked about another Chicago staple: “Ironically, picking a pope from Chicago probably created a fair amount of Italian beef.”
Another alluded to Chicago-style hot dogs — famously jam-packed with yellow mustard, relish, white onion, tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, pickled sport peppers and celery salt and no ketchup. The user was hoping to ask the pope: “Is ketchup on a hot dog an actual sin?”
Chicago is also known for its die-hard sports fans as well as its intra-city rivalry between the Cubs and the White Sox. Despite being from the south side, which is often associated with the Sox, Pope Leo XIV confirmed he’s a Cubs fan.
Noting that the baseball team has only won three times in its 150-year history, one user joked: “The first American pope in history is a Cubs fan! He will certainly have empathy for the suffering.”
Another posted a photo of the new pope dressed like Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka, with Ray Bans, a gray mustache and a “Bears” logo across a navy robe. “Sundays at the Vatican are about to be lit,” the caption reads.
Yet another joked: “The father, the son and da Bears, amiright?”
Alongside a photo of a 1990s SNL clip featuring four men dressed in head-to-toe gear discussing “da Bears” in exaggerated Midwestern accents, one user simply put: “DA POPE.”
Others even posted a clip of the pope’s first appearance set to the The Bulls’ theme song: "Sirius" by The Alan Parsons Project.
The white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signaling the new pope had been elected, a week after President Donald Trump said he’d “like to be Pope. That would be my number one choice.” Days later, the president posted an AI-generated of himself dressed in white papal vestments and headdress — a move that sparked criticism but what Trump passed off as a mere “joke.”
On Thursday, The Onion, a satirical Chicago-based paper, splashed a photo of the American pope alongside a fake quote on its homepage. It read: “Pope Leo XIV: ‘There Couldn’t Be A Better Time To Get The Fuck Out Of America Forever.’”
English (US) ·