Pope Leo XIV suffered one of the greatest insults of his pontificate this week, though the heresy was not theological.
Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, gave the pontiff, a high-profile fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, customized memorabilia of the organization’s crosstown rivals.
“I had the joy of meeting His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this morning, along with a delegation of bishops and priests of our holy Church,” the patriarch wrote in a social media post following the visitation. “During the exchange of gifts, I presented the pope with a customized Cubs jersey and hat.”
“Needless to say, the pope loved the gift,” he added jokingly.
Photos of the pontiff holding the customized gift
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