The first ever American pope has drawn the anger of soccer fans from his own country after explaining who he will be supporting when the FIFA World Cup kicks off next month.
Pope Leo XIV won't be praying for his home side to win during the international soccer tournament, according to an interview about his allegiances. Instead, the 70-year-old head of the Catholic faith is backing another team from the American continent.
The Chicago-born pontifex maximus was asked the tricky question of who he would be cheering for in a hypothetical straight match up between Peru and America in an interview with Crux Now Media, saying he'd 'probably' back the Peruvians.
But revealing where his sporting allegiances lie has sparked backlash for Pope Leo, with incensed soccer fans branding him a 'fake American' and even a 'traitor', with many of his critics were unaware of why he'd swapped sides.
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While some were angered by his answer and asked on X, 'What part of Peru is Chicago in??' Others tried to excommunicate him from the windy city by saying his 'Chicago card is revoked', but lots of people were unaware of his back story.
The American pope has actually spent almost as much of his life preaching the word of God in Peru as he has eating deep dish pizza in Illinois.
The man then known as Robert Prevost finished his doctorate in Catholic doctrine after studying in Rome in the early 1980s, moving to join a mission to Peru in 1985 that would dedicate the next 15 years of his life.
Leo's service in Peru has made him extremely popular in the Catholic-dominated South American country, which also has a deep love for soccer. The Peruvian national team even celebrated his anointment as pope, saying at the time: 'New leader in hope…and he is Peruvian at heart.'
But his support for Peru only extends to soccer.
That's because when it comes to baseball, Leo is as patriotic as they come, being a Chicago White Sox fan. And when it comes to basketball and football, he's a Bulls and Bears supporter.
And with soccer being a much bigger deal on the streets of Lima, Peru than it is on Chicago's South Side, it seems that Pope Leo has developed an affinity for the side that his former parishioners obsess over.
Some did not think the pope was a 'traitor' for sharing his support like this, with one person pointing out: "Soccer in Peru is by far the biggest sport, in America they don’t care about it. Makes complete sense."
While a number of MAGA influencers accused Leo of 'hating America', especially after his papal interventions against the war in Iran, a number of Catholics defended his stance. "Pope Leo XIV doesn't hate the USA, and isn't against it," one remarked.
"When you become a Pope you don't have your nationality anymore, you belong to the Vatican, to the Church. Doesn't matter anymore where he was born."
Topics: Pope Leo, Football, Religion, Catholic Church
William Morgan