The artwork shows the Supreme Pontiff during his days as a Chicago baseball fan.
By Catholics for Catholics
A mural of Pope Leo XIV was unveiled Monday at Rate Field of the Chicago White Sox, which depicts him as a fan of the baseball team.
The mural, according to Newsmax, shows the Supreme Pontiff as Pope Leo, and also when he and members of a local family cheered the team during their 2005 World Series victory. The artwork is located on a pillar near Section 140 at Rate Field, where there is also a representation of the photograph of the then-Father Robert Prevost with his longtime friend, the late Ed Schmit, and Schmit’s grandson, Eddie Schmit IV, cheering on the team.
“I don’t want anyone to think he’s a Cubs fan,” Schmit said Monday. “He’s not a Cubs fan. The Pope is a White Sox fan, and we have proved that.”
According to Newsmax, Heidi Skokal, one of the elder Schmit’s daughters, told the Chicago Tribune that her father received many calls from his old friend, “Father Bob,” who was at that time in Peru, in the days and months before he passed away of cancer in 2020.
Skokal said: ‘“Father Bob, I know you’re going to be the next pope. I may not be here to see it, but I’ll definitely be looking down,’” Skokal recalled her father saying.
The Newsmax story indicates that the photograph shown with the mural cleared-up a discussion that came up after the Pope was chosen, as it showed him in White Sox garb next to his friend, Schmit, a longtime season ticket holder. His seats remain with his family.
Members of the family were present for the mural’s unveiling Monday, when they recalled the family’s relationship with the now-Pope, who performed family weddings, worked at St. Rita High School, and was a close friend to the family for decades.
Eddie Schmitt III said: “There’s other times I was here with Father Bob and my father, and we enjoyed the game, you know, and had a beer or whatever and watched the game and relaxed and just talked about everyday stuff. Father Bob was just a natural, and he’s just humble. And he’s just like us. He’s an everyday guy, believe it or not.”
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