His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, traveled to Rome this week to participate in a ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Church’s declaration on building relations with non-Christian religions.
During his stay in the Eternal City, Mar Awa III, born David Royel to Assyrian immigrant parents, met Oct. 27 with Pope Leo XIV in a private audience. The two share the same hometown of Chicago.
During the meeting, the pope urged the two churches to seek “full communion,” proposing synodality as the path to achieving it.
However, it seems that this communion does not extend to the realm of sports.
The leader of the Assyrian Church is a fan of the Chicago Cubs, while the Roman pontiff supports their eternal rivals, the White Sox.
In his luggage, Mar Awa III made sure to include a Cubs jersey, which he presented to Pope Leo XIV as a gift at the end of his audience at the Vatican.
During the gift exchange, the Cubs fan wore a satisfied smile, while the Holy Father, with an expression of resignation, held up the dark blue jersey with the name “Leo” and the number 14 printed in red.
Mar Awa III posted a photo of the moment on his Instagram profile, where he wrote: “During the exchange of gifts, I presented the pope with a customized Cubs jersey and hat (in honor of all our North Side Chicagoans). Needless to say, the pope loved the gift,“ he recounted with evident irony.
Pope Leo XIV has demonstrated his love for baseball on several occasions. During one of his usual tours through St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile before a general audience, he surprised onlookers by spontaneously joining a group of pilgrims in chanting “White Sox!”, making it clear which team he supports.
Chicago’s North Side Cubs have annually played the city’s South Side White Sox in the interleague “Crosstown Classic.” As of July of this year, the Cubs have an all-time edge of 77-75 over the White Sox since the series began, Yahoo News reported.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
