Robert Prevost has made history as the first American pope, and Chicago is fully embracing the moment.
The Big Picture: News of Pope Leo XIV’s Chicago roots sparked a wave of witty social media posts, including comments from the city’s leaders.
“Everything dope, including the Pope, comes from Chicago,” Mayor Brandon Johnson tweeted.
The Vibe: Chicagoans, known for their unique speech patterns, quickly adopted playful names for the new pope, calling him “Da Pope.” Memes referencing the “Superfans” sketch from Saturday Night Live circulated widely.
Zooming In: As a city with deep Catholic ties, Chicago didn’t stop with jokes about local celebrities like Coach Ditka, George Wendt, and Chris Farley. Here are some of the funniest reactions:
“Deep dish eucharist,” posted Eion Higgins on Bluesky.
“Finally, Rome will have good pizza,” tweeted Rory Cooper.
“Can’t wait for holy water & wine to be replaced by Malort & Old Style,” Shane Riordan joked. Our Axios colleague Alex Fitzpatrick added, “When does he start turning water into Malort?”
Comedian Sandy Marshall chimed in with, “Previously on Chicago Pope…” referencing the city’s famous TV shows.
Kara Fagan shared, “Chicago Pope about to walk out to this,” with a clip of the Chicago Bulls intro video and theme song.
“The new pope is a @Cubs fan which means he ironically hates the Cardinals,” joked broadcaster Caitlin Hendrix.
Mike Golic Jr. poked fun with, “The new Pope says he’s from Chicago but he’s actually from Naperville.”
Ben Wittenstein humorously posted, “Would be great if he can do something about the construction on the Kennedy.”
Mike Beauvais added, “Pope Leo XIV is the first pope to know exactly what Dave Matthews did on Aug. 8, 2004,” referencing the infamous incident where a tour bus dumped waste into the Chicago River.
Finally, from the beloved @ChiPartyAunt account: “Payton, Jordan, Oprah, Ditka, Royko, and now…God.”
The Bottom Line: As the world gets to know the new Chicago-born pope, they’re also learning about the city’s sense of humor.
