Posted on 06/15/2025 11:24:54 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
“Recognize that God is present,” he said in a recorded video to a crowd gathered at the home stadium of the White Sox.
When Pope Leo XIV was selected in May as the next leader of the Catholic Church, his hometown, Chicago, erupted in shocked delight. There were joyful newspaper headlines (“DA POPE!”), impromptu gatherings at parishes across the city, and a “Pope-A-Roni” pie marketed by a local pizza joint.
On Saturday afternoon, the city had a chance to formally celebrate together for the first time. The occasion was a festive program and Mass organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago and hosted by Rate Field, the home of the White Sox.
The program on Saturday included music, prayer, and Pope Leo’s first public address to an American audience, in the form of an almost eight-minute video recorded at the Vatican.
The message was addressed to young people gathered in Chicago and watching online. The pope acknowledged their difficulties living through the isolation of the pandemic, and of anxiety, loneliness and depression.
Longing, tension and restlessness are not to be ignored or numbed, he advised. Rather, he said, “I’d like to take this opportunity to invite each one of you to look into your own hearts, to recognize that God is present, and that perhaps in many different ways, God is reaching out to you.”
More than 30,000 tickets to the event sold out within days of the announcement last month, organizers said. Some tickets quickly appeared on secondary markets for more than $1,200, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. (The White Sox, who are in last place, average fewer than 17,000 fans a game.)
June 14 was chosen because it was the first Saturday that the ballpark was available with no major competing events in the city. An earlier date for the...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
For once, I actually forgot about the Pope and his news-making acts and words. I consider that a good thing.
So far, Pope Leo XIV, seems like a good choice.
“Take my prelates. Please.”
“C’mon folks, laugh. I laughed when you guys came in.”
“I have a couple of Catholic jokes we tell each other at the Vatican but I see a lot of ladies here so I’ll shut up.”
I read an article recently stating that this event was counter programming to the 250 parade. Completely made up as libs always do
Was it Gay-alphabet Pride Day?
He hasn’t kissed any Muslim feet yet, and that is a big plus.
mark
You’re thinking of the wrong Pope, the late unlamented. This was a youth religious gathering
Forced my self to go to the NYT site to read the entire piece. Seems Cardinal Cupich was up to his usual tricks.
"That light, that perhaps on the horizon is not very easy to see, and yet, as we grow in our unity, as we come together in communion, we can discover that that light will grow brighter and brighter. That light which is indeed our faith in Jesus Christ."
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