Family gives ‘Da Pope’ Chicago Bears T-shirt to Pope Leo XIV

CNA Staff, Jul 21, 2025 / 14:06 pm

A Chicago family vacationing in Rome is making headlines after a video of their encounter with Pope Leo XIV on Sunday went viral.

Marcel and Ann Muñoz, along with their three children, met the pope after Mass on July 20 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Pancras in Albano, a town about 16 miles south of Rome, and gifted him a T-shirt that reads “Da Pope,” — in reference to “Da Bears,” which stems from the old “Superfans” sketches on “Saturday Night Live.”

The Muñoz family were also wearing the custom T-shirts, which were, of course, in Bears colors — navy blue with white text and orange lines.

“He turned left, and he just kind of beelined towards us, so whatever it is, it’s like everyone else is, you know, very nicely dressed for a summer Mass except us — so we did kind of stick out,” Marcel Muñoz said, according to CBS News. “But you know, it’s one of those things where it’s like: ‘Hey, you’re going to be here once. Hopefully, you can catch his attention.’”

“How many people get this opportunity to be in front of the pope, to have his attention, to hold his hand? I kissed his ring, and you know, it’s such — you feel blessed,” Ann Muñoz said.

The family drove 45 minutes to Albano where the Holy Father was celebrating Mass at the cathedral near his vacation home at Castel Gandolfo. 

On Ann’s facebook page, she wrote: “We were late and just stood at the edge before a barricade was up. Then we planted ourselves in the hot sun until Mass was over. We watched it on a screen outside and even received Communion.”

“We were just hoping to catch a glimpse,” she added.

The Muñoz family are Chicago Bears season-ticket holders and said they hope the event kick-starts a winning season for the professional football team.