Rate Field hosted a special mass and celebration in honor of Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope and a confirmed White Sox fan.

CHICAGO (RNS) — At Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, some 30,000 celebrated a native son, Pope Leo XIV, Saturday afternoon (June 14) at a Mass organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Leo appeared via video from Rome, in a prerecorded message encouraging young people to engage in the community of the church.

In his first words directed specifically to Americans, Pope Leo XIV told young people on Saturday how to find hope and meaning in their lives through God and in service to others. The message was delivered in a video broadcast on the jumbotron at the White Sox baseball stadium in Chicago,