In late May 2025, numerous Snopes readers asked about the accuracy of reports that Pope Leo XIV would participate in a June 14 event in Chicago. Many wanted to know specifically if the pope would be leading Mass via video message in Rate Field, home of the White Sox baseball team.
Numerous posts on X and Facebook noted that Pope Leo was planning to preside over the Mass — the Catholic liturgical service — for the occasion. A few posts noted that the Mass would be held on the same day as U.S. President Donald Trump's "birthday military parade."
We can confirm that Pope Leo will deliver a video message at an event celebrating the newly elected pontiff in Rate Field in Chicago but he will not participate in the Mass. As of this writing, we do not know the details of his speech.
We reached out to the Holy See's office and the Archdiocese of Chicago. Yasmin Quiroz, a spokesperson at the Chicago Archdiocese's office told us that Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, would be the main celebrant and homilist — meaning he would deliver a short lecture on a moral theme during Mass. The pope would send a video message but would not be a part of the Mass.
Quiroz noted that the pope's video message would be recorded in advance. They had not yet received it as of this writing, so they did not know how long it would be.
Per the Archdiocese of Chicago's website, on June 14, Pope Leo "will greet us in Chicago and offer a special video message to the young people of the world, which will be broadcast first from our event." The event is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. that day and Mass will take place at 4 p.m.
(Screenshot via archchicago.org)
Tickets are available on May 30 via Ticketmaster.
Cupich also released a video message saying the event would be a celebration of Pope Leo:
According to the Catholic News Agency, the event will include music, film, a Mass, and in-person testimonials about the pope. As we have reported previously, Pope Leo grew up in Chicago. According to his family, he is also a supporter of Chicago's White Sox baseball team.
Trump will mark June 14 with a military parade in Washington, D.C. June 14, 1775, was the date the Continental Army was officially created and is considered the U.S. Army's official birthday. It also happens to be Trump's birthday.
The Archdiocese's office denied any connection between the chosen date for Chicago's celebration for the pope and the military parade in Washington D.C. "It was the soonest Saturday when the White Sox were not playing and there was no major festival or concert nearby. The choice had nothing to do with celebrations elsewhere," Quiroz said.