CHICAGO — Pope Leo XIV spoke directly to the young people scattered throughout the audience at Rate Field Saturday afternoon, telling them that they are the “promise of hope” and that the world looks to them to help spread a message of peace and harmony among all people.

“We have to look beyond our own, if you will, egotistical ways. We have to look for ways of coming together and promoting the message of hope,” Pope Leo XIV said in a video broadcast across the stadium. “St. Augustine says to us that if we want the world to be a better place, we have to begin with ourselves. We have to begin with our own lives, our own hearts.”

The recently elevated pontiff and South Side native shared a message of unity and hope to the thousands of faithful at a celebration of his election Saturday afternoon at Rate Field in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Around the stadium, the audience listened raptly to the approximately 10-minute video from the Chicago-born pope.

Pope Leo XIV encouraged those in attendance and others watching online to build community and friendship in their daily lives and in their parishes, especially after the isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said many people who suffer from depression or sadness “can discover that the love of God is truly healing.”

“When I see each and every one of you, when I see how people gather together to celebrate their faith and discover myself how much hope there is in the world,” Leo said.

Aside from a personal message from the pope, the event, which had a $5 ticket price, featured music, prayer and a 4 p.m. Mass. There was a performance of both the U.S. and Peruvian national anthems to honor Pope Leo XIV’s ties to both countries, and speeches from various faith leaders, including the Rev. John Merkelis, a high school classmate of the pope’s and president of Providence Catholic High School.

The night before the conclave began, Merkelis said he emailed Leo and told him “Whatever happens, I’ll still like (you).” The pope responded that “He’s sleeping well because an American is not going to be a pope.” When Pope Leo XIV was ultimately selected, Merkelis said everyone in the Providence faculty lounge started cheering and crying.

“He’s a prayerful man, and having said all that, he’s a regular guy. He’ll change your oil. He’ll fix your carburetor. He’ll play Wordle,” Merkelis said. “He’s just a down-to-earth guy who’s very smart, very prayerful, and I believe he will bring those same qualities to all the issues he faces.”

Merkelis said he’s still having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that someone whom he’s eaten pizza and had a beer with is now the pope, but that he’s “so excited” for the city and that his friend was “destined to lead.” He said Pope Leo XIV comforted him when his father died decades ago, and that he’s a “sensitive man.”

“He plays Wordle with his brother, and I’m on a team of people that play Wordle. So we made this vow that every time we post on Wordle we’re going to write ‘pray for Leo,’ ” Merkelis recounted. “I sent him the screenshot of all our responses, and just a few days ago he emailed back and said thanks for the prayers.”

Sister Dianne Bergant, a former teacher of Pope Leo XIV’s at the Catholic Theological Union, where he earned his master’s in divinity, said he was a good student, which she can prove because she didn’t throw out her grade lists. The crowd laughed when she said his success must speak to the quality of the city’s education.

“Everyone is involved. Everyone belongs to church. Everyone is a missionary in a very real sense, and that’s the theology on which he grew,” she said.

Robert Prevost, a missionary who became the first American to helm the Catholic Church, was born in 1955 at Mercy Hospital in the Bronzeville neighborhood, and grew up in south suburban Dolton with his parents and two brothers. He attended school and served as an altar boy at St. Mary of the Assumption parish on the Far South Side, where one classmate remembered him as the “pride and joy of every priest and nun.”

He’s also a longtime White Sox fan. The pope donned a White Sox baseball cap as he met newly wedded couples in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Wednesday, and his brief appearance during the television broadcast of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series resurfaced and went viral.

“Pope Leo defines and represents the fabric and the heartbeat of the city of Chicago,” said Brooks Boyer, the White Sox’s senior vice president, who also invited him back to Rate Field to throw a ceremonial first pitch.

People flooded into the stadium hours before the program began. Many wore White Sox memorabilia, and several “Da Pope” shirts were seen.

Mike Donatelli, 67, had the best of both worlds — a White Sox jersey with “Pope Leo” on the back. Donatelli now lives in the Loop, but he said he grew up on the South Side and he thinks it’s incredible that someone who was basically a neighbor is now the leader of the Catholic Church.

“Same type of education system, we’re the same age,” Donatelli said. “One of my best friends from the Air Force Academy went to grade school with him … and said he was a great guy.”

Donatelli said he’s particularly drawn to the pope’s humility and sense of humor. He thought it was clever when the pope joked that “we can’t invite Sinner” during a meeting with the tennis star Jannik Sinner. Donatelli, the former head of the Delta Air Line Pilots Association, also respects the pope’s nod to workers in the selection of his name.

“He’s already mentioned that we’re all humans,” Donatelli said. “We all have the same interests, especially for families. We just want to do the right thing and get ahead.”

Miguel Vargas, 60, said he’s also inspired that the new pope is from the Chicago area. He believes Chicagoans will follow the pope’s lead and become ambassadors of what it means to be a good Catholic — united and peaceful.

“Since we are seeing a lot of things going on right now, we have to pray more and more,” Vargas said. “We’re here to pray for (Leo) and for the whole church.”

Vargas, a Hoffman Estates resident, said he was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. when he was 17. He said he’s “embraced the American Dream” ever since.

“The American Dream for me is not the money, but the faith,” he said.

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