KC connection to soccer fan Pope Francis involved signed jersey from Chiefs star
As people around the world mourn the death of Pope Francis, one memory that reflects his sports-fan side involves a red Chiefs jersey signed by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In January 2020, Bishop James Johnston of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph traveled to Rome for a sit-down meeting with the pope and fellow bishops from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.
Johnston brought a gift for the pontiff: an autographed Mahomes jersey.
Francis received the jersey just days ahead of the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs beat the Tennessee Titans to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LIV.
Divine intervention?
Well, Mahomes himself is a believer.
Francis was an avid soccer fan — he considered it “the most beautiful game” and called Pele a “man of heart.” As pope often spoke of playing with a ball made of rags as a young boy growing up in his native Buenos Aires.
Francis was the first Latin American pope in history. When he became pope, the Argentine club San Lorenzo tweeted a photo of him holding up the team’s crest.
Francis received several soccer stars, including Lionel Messi, at the Vatican and his love of the game inspired the Netflix film, “The Two Popes,” a fictional story of Francis watching the 2014 World Cup final with former Pope Benedict XVI.
The movie is still streaming on Netflix.
Out of respect, top soccer matches in Italy and Argentina were postponed on Monday.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 1:52 PM.
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