Losing can be just as valuable as winning for athletes and sports fans, Pope Leo XIV wrote on social media on Sunday morning. You can trust him on what it’s like to lose — he’s a Chicago White Sox fan.
“It forces us, in learning the art of losing, to confront our fragility, our limitations and our imperfections,” he wrote of sports on X. “It is through the experience of these limits that we open our hearts to hope. Athletes who never make mistakes, who never lose, do not exist.”
The sports-centered message arrived less than 24 hours after the American pope’s first address to his native Chicago. Leo chose a fitting venue for Saturday’s occasion — the White Sox’s stadium.
The pope’s livestreamed message, which aired on the ballpark’s Jumbotron, drew 30,000 Catholics to the stadium. Thousands more watched online, according to multiple reports.
“When I see each and every one of you, when I see how people gather together to celebrate their faith, I discover myself how much hope there is in the world,” Leo said in the video message.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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