Pope Leo XIV hasn't had a chance to use Chicago White Sox legend Nellie Fox's baseball bat — a family heirloom to CBS News foreign correspondent @saychrislive, who gifted the bat to the pontiff back in November 2025.
"It's hard to play baseball without a full team," he said. The American pope, who was born in Chicago, is an avid White Sox fan.
"I study German late at night; during the day, I have practically no time for it," Pope Leo XIV explained to the Catholic News Agency (KNA) while flying to Madrid. The Pope confirmed that a trip to Germany is planned, but that preparations are not yet tied to a specific schedule.
Pope Leo XIV on war in Iran:
"I think this has already been made very clear: the notion of a just war no longer applies. The problem is that just war theory developed in centuries when no one could have imagined the weapons we have today or humanity's capacity for destruction."
🤳FOTOS INÉDITAS del Papa León XIV durante su primera juventud visitando nuestro país junto a sus hermanos agustinos.
🇻🇦Cedidas por el padre agustino Isaac González Marcos.
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While Pope Leo visits Spain, @sanbenito will be performing in Madrid. Asked whether people will choose the pope or Bad Bunny, he replied:
"I think many will see Bad Bunny. But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope, and that says something."
Pope Leo XIV on the papal plane to Spain:
“Do [young people] want to see Bad Bunny or do they want to see the pope? Many will go see Bad Bunny, but I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know.”
Chicago Alderman Lamont Robinson, who met Pope Leo recently, writes tonight:
As the first openly gay City Council member of color to meet Pope Leo XIV, I recognized the historic significance of the moment. But in that moment, it wasn’t about our differences, it was about our similarities.
I thought about the values that have shaped both the Catholic tradition and the Black Church. Service compassion, justice, and a belief in the dignity of every person. Those same values have guided my work in public service and my commitment to creating opportunities for others.
Too often, people focus on what separates us. What made this meeting meaningful was the reminder that our common humanity is far greater than our differences.
We all have a responsibility to lift others up, stand for justice, and leave our communities better than we found them.
For me, that’s what this moment represented. Not just a historic first, but the possibility of building bridges where others see divides.
Running late to an audience this morning with German Catholic students, Pope Leo jokes: “I am told that Germans are very punctual! Ich bin ein Ausländer.” (I am a foreigner)