Leo XIV, the first American pope, is drawing attention after images showed him wearing Nike sneakers with his cassock.
Vatican News on the 6th (local time) released the trailer for Leone a Roma, a documentary produced to mark the first anniversary of Leo XIV's papal inauguration. The trailer shows Leo XIV wearing Nike sneakers with a prominent black Swoosh logo under his cassock. The scene was reportedly filmed in Rome before he was elected pope.
U.S. outlet Athlon Sports said, "The shoes worn by Leo XIV are likely the Nike 'Franchise Low Plus' model," and added, "That model was released long ago and is no longer in production."
Leo XIV was born in 1955 in Chicago. A die-hard fan of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, footage was released of the pope visiting the ballpark when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005 for the first time in 88 years. After ascending to the papacy, he also drew attention when he appeared wearing a White Sox cap.