Pope Leo has got the internet talking after accepting a gift from an American family who had made a long journey to see him.

Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost rose to the highest seat in the Catholic church earlier this year following the death of Pope Francis, ushering in a new era for the papacy.

The first American pope in history appears to have been well-received by folk the world over, not least by those from his home country, who have started a trend by offering him gifts and trinkets while he’s out in public.

Back in June, Pope Leo donned a Chicago White Sox baseball cap – while wearing traditional clothing – much to the delight of Chicagoans, not to mention those wishing to see the church further embrace its modernization.

Recently, one US family gifted the 69-year-old a shirt bearing the message “Da Pope”, in reference to a popular SNL sketch on Chicago sports fans, particularly those who support “Da Bears”.

Needless to say, the pope receiving a gimmicky gift has gone down a storm, not least due to the fact that it’s about as far from being on-brand as humanly possible. Traditionally stoic and reserved almost to a fault, the idea of a previous pope accepting what is effectively a joke t-shirt is as hilarious as it is unlikely.
And yet Pope Leo embraced the gift like a good sport, leading people online to joke that it is such interactions which lower the chances of us seeing another American pope.

“They’ll never let us have another American pope after this lol,” shared one person on Reddit.

“I wonder if non-Americans find this unbearably cringe. As a Chicagoan I do love it though,” said another.

A third added: “I know this is supposed to be a trashy interaction, but I think it’s really nice and shows that they’re just really proud to have a pope from their city. We tend to have a lot of hometown pride here.”
“His smile and demeanor are very friendly,” wrote a fourth. “And he speaks up for the Gazans and Ukraine. I’m very proud to be from the same little hometown (Dolton) as him.”

A fifth opined: “I agree with you, Americans are deeply unserious – and he loves it, because The Bears definitely bring out his American side. He signed a Pokémon card. He sees the fun and the seriousness in his work, and how it can bring people together.”

Again, such interactions might not exactly fall into the usual wheelhouse of a sitting pope, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t good fun.