During his first papal trip abroad, Pope Leo XIV was presented with a baseball bat once owned by legendary White Sox player Nellie Fox.
CBS News correspondent Chris Livesay gifted the pontiff Fox’s Louisville Slugger, as part of a tradition of members of the press bringing gifts as Leo made an unannounced trip through the plane to greet the Vatican press corp. When Livesay pointed out the initials and number on the end of the bat, which was given to him by his cousin, the pope’s eyes lit up, CBS reported.
“How did you get this through security?” the pope said to laughs from the group.
Fox, a White Sox Hall of Fame second baseman who was born on Christmas Day 1927, led the American League in singles for seven consecutive seasons, 1954 to 1960. Fox’s 1955 team record of consecutive games with multiple hits — set the year Pope Leo XIV was born — stood until 2016.
The Pope was also given a pair of White Sox-branded slippers and socks — the latter a reference to Leo’s recent quip that he only wears white socks, a play on words about his beloved hometown baseball team.
Leo met with White Sox co-owner Justin Ishbia this month and soon after white smoke heralded Leo’s election as pontiff in May, photos and video of the future pope in the stands at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series emerged. He later gifted White Sox first baseman and 2005 World Series team captain Paul Konerko with a signed jersey.
Over the summer, Leo donned a Sox hat that was gifted to him by a follower in St. Peter’s Square and joined in a White Sox chant in Vatican City shortly after the Sox unveiled a mural of the pope near his World Series seats in Section 140. The team also hosted some 30,000 people for Mass at Rate Field which featured a video address from Leo.
Leo also shared some more light-hearted moments with the 81 reporters aboard, noting that Thursday was Thanksgiving in the United States. At least two journalists presented Leo with pumpkin pies.
“To the Americans here, Happy Thanksgiving!” he said to the 80 or so reporters who are traveling aboard the papal plane. “It’s a wonderful day to celebrate.”
Leo is on his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, marking an important Christian anniversary and bringing a message of peace to the region at a crucial time for efforts to end the war in Ukraine and ease Mideast tensions.
Contributing: AP