SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Twenty years ago, a priest named Robert Prevost attended a World Series game at U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox. These days, the stadium is called Rate Field, and much more importantly, these days, Prevost goes by Pope Leo XIV. A bit more than a month ago, he became the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church. This evening, tens of thousands of Chicagoans are filling Rate Field for a special Mass to celebrate the milestone. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich planned the celebration and joins me now. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
BLASE CUPICH: Thank you, Scott. Good to be with you. Thank you for having me.
DETROW: I need to start with this really important update on Pope Leo. What was your response when you saw the pictures of him putting on a White Sox hat at the Vatican this week?
CUPICH: Not at all surprised - I know that he has been a die-hard Sox fan his whole life, as well as his family. So it seemed very natural.
DETROW: Is there anything that's really surprised you about what he's done in the early weeks of his papacy?
CUPICH: No, I would say that he - you know, he's a very reliable, steady individual who works hard. And I know when I was in to see him a couple of weeks ago, when we talked about the event for this evening, he was still in the office late in the afternoon, which is kind of unusual over the Vatican. So often, things slow down after lunch.
DETROW: What can you tell us about that conversation, what your goals are for this Mass and what he was thinking about it?
CUPICH: Well, I told him we wanted to have a celebration in Chicago for all of Chicagoans because we're proud that we produced the Pope. And - but also, we would take the opportunity in that celebration to have some prayer time and then to celebrate the Mass for the weekend. And he was really engaged in the conversation. And when I offered him the possibility of taping a message, we decided that it would be good to say something particularly aimed at young people. And so that's really what he's going to be talking about on this occasion.
DETROW: I want to get back to that message in a moment, but first, I do want to ask this because I have seen this Mass Saturday evening. It's taking place at the same time as President Trump's military parade in Washington, D.C. And I have seen some people frame it as, is the Pope counterprogramming President Trump, and is that intentional? Is there any truth to that? What can you say about that theory that some people are talking about?
CUPICH: That's absolutely false. We didn't even know about plans for the parade in Washington at that time. The reason this week, this day was chosen is because it was a day in which the Rate Field was free, and there would not be a baseball game. So it was the first opportunity for us to plan this with the folks at the Sox organization.
DETROW: I guess, even with a pope who likes baseball, it's probably hard to do Mass and a baseball game at the same time on the field.
CUPICH: That's right. But I should say, originally, we thought we would do this on the Saturday before his inauguration. But we ran into the difficulty of having the crosstown rivalry because the Sox and the Cubs were playing at Wrigley. But also, we had - it was scheduled to have Beyonce here and at Soldier Field, so we didn't think we could compete with all of that. So we moved it to another date.
DETROW: Not even the pope can compete with Beyonce, I think.
(LAUGHTER)
DETROW: Look, you and others have seen these signs of this initial burst of enthusiasm among American Catholics in this moment with this American-born Pope. Have you seen any signs that that could be sustainable, and are you hoping, in particular, that this Mass can be a moment for Catholics in Chicago to kind of ride that momentum and look forward?
CUPICH: Well, I hope that it does have an impact on people as they reflect on their own faith practices. But I think in terms of long-term sustainability, the great promise is that he is an individual who's going to speak to Americans in a medium (ph) that they recognize. He's going to speak like an American about the truths of the faith. And I think people will take a second look at their own faith, experiences, and practices and needs. So I do have hope that there will be sustainability, particularly because I have confidence in how he will address issues.
DETROW: That is Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago. Thank you so much for talking to us.
CUPICH: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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