Contrary to early reports, the new pontiff isn't a Cubs fan — and the Sox faithful couldn't be prouder. "It's a dream," Helen Principato said. From the tailgaters to the clubhouse, there's a hope that the team's fortunes are blessed.

The new Chicago-raised Pope Leo XIV faces an immediate challenge in his native country: taming the brawling U.S. tribe of Catholics, riven by political divisions that have thwarted the will of his predecessors.

Pope Leo XIV, now the successor of St. Peter, leads the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church in a sacred role that few others will ever hold