Sacrilege?

Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago and is an avowed fan of baseball’s White Sox. But at during a Monday meeting at the Vatican, the head of another church handed the pontiff a jersey of the Chicago Cubs -- the crosstown rival of the Pale Hose.

Leo met with Mar Awa III, another Chicago native who is the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.

Mar Awa III, who was born David Royel to Assyrian parents, participated in a ceremony that marked the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Catholic Church’s declaration on building relations with non-Christian religions.

Mar Awa III presented the jersey to the pope as a gift at the end of his private audience at the Vatican. The dark blue Cubs uniform had the name “Leo” stitched on the back, with a red “14″ stitched beneath it.

Chicago fans -- and Cubs fans in particular -- will remember the number, since it belonged to “Mr. Cub,” Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.

It was unclear if the gift was made as a friendly rivalry joke, but Leo was a good sport and managed a small smile as the two church leaders posed for a photograph.

Mar Awa III posted a photo of the moment on his Instagram account.

“During the exchange of gifts, I presented the pope with a customized Cubs jersey and hat (in honor of all of our north side Chicagoans),” he wrote. “Needless to say, the pope enjoyed his gift very much,” he said, most likely with a tinge of irony.

The Cubs are the more famous team from Chicago; while the Cubs reached the playoffs earlier this month, the White Sox have struggled, breaking the modern-day MLB record for losses in a season in 2024 with 121.

It does not help the pope that the White Sox have made the playoffs only three times since winning the World Series in 2005. The Cubs, meanwhile, won the Fall Classic in 2016, breaking a 108-year pennant drought.

The fervor of the rivalry transcends all boundaries, including religious ones.

On Oct. 15, a few days after the Cubs were eliminated from the National League playoffs, the pontiff was greeting people at the Vatican when one person yelled, “Go Cubs!”

The pope answered in Spanish, “Han perdido!” Then, he repeated the phrase in English: “They lost!”

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