Pope Leo's latest Chicago gift: A 16-inch softball
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Pope Leo XIV (L) and Ron Onesti in Rome. Photo: Courtesy of Ron Onesti
During a recent visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo XIV, Chicagoan Ron Onesti had to dig deep to figure out what to bring as a gift.
- The pope has already been gifted everything from White Sox jerseys to deep-dish pizza.
His choice? A 16-inch softball — a Chicago classic.
What they're saying: "I couldn't bring him a beef. I couldn't bring him a pizza. Giardiniera was already taken," Onesti tells Axios. "You know, so not a whole lot left."
Details: Onesti, the president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, was in Rome for a meeting when he got a chance to meet the Holy Father.
- "I can't believe I got it through security," Onesti tells Axios. "When traveling, you realize how many people do not know what a 16-inch softball looks like. Security was like, 'What is this?' in Italian."
Context: The gift idea came from the 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame in Forest Park, which encouraged Onesti, a Hall of Fame inductee, to present the ball to His Holiness.
Zoom in: The softball made Pope Leo's eyes go wide. Onesti says the pope tossed the ball up in the air a few times and reminisced about playing the sport as a youngster — without a glove, of course.
- "When I gave him the ball, he said, 'This is amazing,'" Onesti adds. "I was a second away from going deep for him to throw one. He was ready to do it!"
Between the lines: Onesti didn't get a good look at Pope Leo's fingers for the telltale signs of a true Chicago 16-inch softball veteran — years of catching the oversized ball barehanded can leave a mark.
Yes, but: It didn't stop Onesti from asking him to join his team back here in Chicago.
- "He laughed," Onesti proudly exclaimed. "The power of softball, man."
The bottom line: Vatican 16-inch softball league, anyone?