CHICAGO — Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff and a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, has his own personalized version of the team’s viral “pope hat” giveaway after a South Side priest delivered the gift to him at the Vatican this week.

The Rev. Tom McCarthy, prior provincial of the Beverly-based Midwest Augustinians, met with the pope Wednesday and presented him with a gift box from the White Sox. The package included an upgraded version of the hat, featuring a sewn-on patch with the team’s logo, along with several of the original giveaway hats, a team jersey, a signed baseball card and a letter from White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, according to Block Club Chicago.

The White Sox posted a photo of McCarthy and the pope holding the hat together on the social media platform X on Thursday, writing that the item had “officially landed at the Vatican.” The image quickly circulated online, drawing hundreds of thousands of views.

The hat traces back to a sold-out White Sox game on Aug. 11 against the Cincinnati Reds, when the team distributed roughly 40,000 of the black-and-gold hats to fans at Rate Field as part of a promotion celebrating the team’s connection to the pope. The design draws on the ceremonial miter worn by Catholic bishops, cardinals and the pope himself, reimagined with the White Sox’s white stocking logo. According to the team, the giveaway was originally planned as a limited-quantity item before it was expanded to include all fans following what the club described as overwhelming demand.

McCarthy attended that August game to accept a 14,000 dollar donation from White Sox charities on behalf of the Midwest Augustinian Province, the Catholic religious order Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, belonged to during his years in Chicago. McCarthy currently holds the same prior provincial position the pope once held within the order in the 1990s.

Speaking to Block Club Chicago about his meeting with the pope, McCarthy said Leo was pleased with the gifts and had one lighthearted regret about the timing. “He did say, ‘Too bad we didn’t win the game,’” McCarthy recalled. The White Sox lost that Aug. 11 contest 5-4 to the Reds, though the team has remained atop the American League Central Division for much of the season. As of this week’s announcement from the club, the White Sox held a two-and-a-half-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the division standings.

McCarthy, who grew up in the Marquette Park neighborhood, told Block Club Chicago that Pope Leo follows the White Sox from Vatican City, though he said he was unsure how closely the pope is able to track games given the seven-hour time difference between Chicago and Rome. During their meeting, McCarthy also recounted other moments from the Aug. 11 game, including a ceremonial first pitch from a former Marian Catholic High School teacher and a stadium-wide performance of the Catholic “Sign of Peace” ritual during the fifth inning, in which fans greeted and shook hands with those seated around them.

McCarthy described that moment as a powerful show of unity that transcended religious background. He also connected the enthusiasm around the pope’s fandom to a broader trend he said he has observed within the church, telling Block Club Chicago that some parishes have reported increased interest from both new converts and lapsed Catholics returning to the faith since Leo’s election.

Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood and raised in the south suburb of Dolton, has spoken publicly about the connection between sports and community-building since becoming pope in May 2025. He attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, when the White Sox swept the Houston Astros for the franchise’s first championship since 1917, and has continued to express support for the team throughout his papacy, including wearing a White Sox cap during a Vatican general audience last year.

Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who has met with the pope and discussed his fandom, has separately described Leo’s enthusiasm for the team as striking given the pontiff’s formal surroundings. According to comments reported by the Catholic Herald, Krishnamoorthi recounted the pope greeting him with a remark about the team’s loss on what had been designated Pope Leo Day at the ballpark, saying he was struck that the pontiff was “following the White Sox so religiously.”

McCarthy said he raised the possibility of Pope Leo eventually visiting Chicago, drawing a comparison to Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit to the city, and said he came away from the conversation believing a return trip is likely at some point, even without a firm timetable. Demand for the original White Sox pope hat giveaway item has also picked up on the secondary market, with listings on eBay this week ranging from roughly 67 dollars to more than 200 dollars.

Budget-related speculation at minimum this year, according to Lloyds Business Barometer

Business confidence has climbed to its highest level since March, as resilient consumers brush aside the impact of the Iran conflict and with less Budget. speculation that in recent years.

The Lloyds Business Barometer revealed confidence amongst British firms rose four points in August to 53 per cent, the strongest reading since hostilities broke out in the Middle East and above the 12-month average.

Optimism regarding the broader economy also surged to 49 per cent, a notable increase of seven points. Some 64 per cent of bosses surveyed by the lender reported feeling upbeat about the state of the UK, while those expressing pessimism fell to 15 per cent.

“Businesses are reporting stronger customer demand, greater optimism about the wider economy and growing confidence in their own trading outlook,” said Amanda Murphy, chief executive of Lloyds’ commercial arm, as reported by City AM.

“While businesses continue to operate in a challenging environment, easing cost pressures and fewer firms expecting to raise prices in the coming year should allow them to focus less on managing headwinds and more on pursuing growth.”

The surge in confidence comes despite Donald Trump’s campaign in Iran entering its sixth month. The Strait of Hormuz – a critical shipping corridor for the oil and gas trade – has remained closed to the majority of petrochemical exports throughout the conflict, driving up energy prices and strangling the supply of other essential commodities such as fertiliser.

Researchers credited stronger confidence levels to buoyant consumer demand, which has remained resilient despite elevated energy prices and the looming threat of a renewed surge in inflation. On Wednesday, regulator Ofgem confirmed that household energy bills will climb by as much as four per cent from October, reaching their highest level in three years.

Meanwhile, Brent crude has risen by more than 40 per cent since the start of the year.

Price rises have been particularly sharp in refined oil products such as diesel and kerosene – used as jet fuel – the cost of which virtually doubled overnight following Donald Trump’s first strike on Iran.

According to the barometer, companies’ trading outlook rose two points to a three-month high of 58 per cent, with two thirds of firms anticipating an increase in output over the coming year. The proportion of businesses expecting to raise prices in the next 12 months also fell by three per cent to just over half.

Business confidence has been strengthening across several closely monitored surveys, marking a departure from previous summers when widespread Budget speculation eroded fragile private sector morale and dampened investment.

New Chancellor John Healey has up to now chosen to keep a tight lid on speculation regarding which taxes may increase at his first fiscal event in October, despite the broader financial picture pointing strongly towards a higher overall tax burden.

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The social media platform X announced that it performed a probe regarding “suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts” participating in influence efforts, uncovering a bot farm of around 200,000 accounts, of which 200 accounts were posting in a way that could distort true debate regarding U.S. artificial intelligence and energy policy.

“The X Safety team conducted an investigation into suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts involved in influence operations: We identified a bot farm of approximately 200,000 accounts. Within this farm, we found 200 accounts posting in a manner that could manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and energy policy,” the post on the X Global Government Affairs account noted.

“These posts contained claims that AI data centers are driving up household electricity prices and straining the grid. Others included AI-generated cartoons that depicted data-center operators enriching themselves at the public’s expense,” the post continued.

NEW YORK BECOMES FIRST STATE TO FREEZE NEW AI DATA CENTERS IN MOVE CRITICS WARN COULD DRIVE AWAY JOBS

The popular social media platform X announced that it conducted a probe regarding “suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts” participating in influence efforts. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

“We remain committed to maintaining an open and authentic platform where people debate topics of public interest. We take seriously any attempts to undermine the integrity of the global town square and suspend accounts that violate our Authenticity policy,” the notice concluded.

The post featured several screenshots of examples of relevant posts. One showed a post depicting what appeared to be an anti-data center comic strip titled, “DATA CENTERS GET SUBSIDIZED WHILE WE FOOT THE BILL!” A message at the bottom read, “ELECTRICITY RATEPAYERS GET STUCK WITH THE COST!”

OPENAI, 100+ COMPANIES WARN OF COMING SURGE IN AI-POWERED CYBERATTACKS, CALL FOR GLOBAL DEFENSE PUSH

A person holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Fla., on July 18, 2026.  (Thomas Simonetti / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Data centers have been a topic of debate within the U.S. amid concerns regarding environmental impacts and energy costs in local communities.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote in a post on X last week, “The concerns by citizens from across the political spectrum re: hyperscale data centers are rooted in distrust of these Big Tech titans and their designs on expanding tech power over the citizenry. It’s not just — or even mainly — about concerns about water and power usage.”

But some, including President Donald Trump, want to ensure that China does not outpace the U.S. in AI-related advancements.

TRUMP SAYS ANY GOVERNOR OR MAYOR SHOULD WANT TO WELCOME AN AI DATA CENTER

In part of a Truth Social post last month, the president asserted, “The Radical Left Dumocrats must not be allowed to cause us to lose Data Centers, AI, and all of this incredible new Technology, to China, and other countries!”

The Grafton welcomed acts from The Beatles to Duke Ellington

Major renovation plans for one of Liverpool’s former iconic nightclubs will now go ahead a year after the city council agreed to the scheme. Last March, Liverpool Council’s planning committee tentatively gave the go-ahead to recommend 90 apartments in a six storey development on the site once occupied by The Grafton on West Derby Road, Kensington.

The historic venue, located next to The Olympia, opened in 1924 as a ballroom and later became a legendary nightclub – hosting acts like The Beatles and Duke Ellington. However, it is currently vacant and derelict, having been closed as a club for years.

While city councillors warmly welcomed proposals to redevelop the site, the plans were briefly put on hold after officials omitted any consultation with Historic England from their report. After the heritage body confirmed it would back the plans for the site, a lengthy wait took hold for a final decision.

Now the local authority has confirmed 15 months on it has formally agreed for the site to be converted. In 2023 Equans Regeneration submitted plans to Liverpool Council to turn the site into a housing development made up of 90 apartments over a six-storey block.

The scheme would comprise 47 one and 43 two-bedroom rent-to-buy apartments, to be managed by affordable housing provider Sovini. Officials acknowledged how the site has been vacant for more than 15 years and presents a health and safety hazard in its current state, described as “an eyesore.”

Agent Brad Wiseman told the committee last year how regeneration of the location would provide “the investment that is desperately needed to transform the site, give it a new identity and deliver new affordable homes for city residents.” Mr Wiseman said the development would only be made possible by the receipt of grant funding from Homes England.

There had been hopes initial work – subject to Historic England approval – would start quickly but major transformative options would not begin until Homes England cash had been received. The local authority is duty bound to run the plans past the body, which forms part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, because of its proximity to a listed building.

In a statement, Catherine Dewar of Historic England said: “Liverpool Council wrote to us on March 11 (2025) to consult us on proposals to largely demolish The Grafton Rooms to provide new homes. We’ve prioritised our assessment of the plans and today we’ve responded to say that we’re not objecting to these proposals.

“The Grafton Rooms is not a listed building but we do have an interest in protecting the setting of the Grade II* Olympia Social Club next door, which is a wonderful example of the work of Frank Matcham, the country’s most celebrated Edwardian theatre architect. We recognise the benefits that the proposal’s new housing will bring for the area and we value the retention of the well-known façade of The Grafton Rooms as part of the project’s vision.

“We are committed to working alongside local authorities and developers to find new and viable uses for Liverpool’s much-loved heritage.”

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