Chicago to Fete Its First Pope, Leo XIV, at Guaranteed Rate Field

Chicago: Chicago is to fete its first pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost turned Leo XIV, on Saturday. “A unique celebration for the election of the first Pope born in Chicago,” the website of the Archdiocese of Chicago advertised the celebration, just over a month after his election.

According to Ansa News Agency, the big party will be held at Guaranteed Rate Field, the baseball stadium in the south of the city, where the local White Sox team plays, of which Prevost has been a fan since he was a child. The program will begin at 2:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. in Italy), but the gates of Rate Field will be open two hours earlier. Between prayers and music, the celebration will include a video message from Pope Leo XIV to young people around the world, which will be broadcast as a preview during the event.

At 4:00 p.m. local time (11:00 p.m. in Italy), Cardinal Balse J. Cupich of Chicago will celebrate Mass and deliver a homily. The archdiocese also announced the host of the event: Chuck Swirsky, announcer for the Chicago Bulls, one of the three local NBA basketball teams.

Although everyone is invited, it is not a completely free celebration: the entrance ticket costs $5, as does the parking space.