Bears QB Caleb Williams gifts Pope Leo XIV autographed jersey

CHICAGO — Pope Leo XIV added a new item to his collection of Chicago sports memorabilia.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sent an autographed jersey to Leo, a Chicago native and the first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church. The jersey was gifted through Williams’ Caleb Cares foundation and presented to Leo by Brian Burch, the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, on July 4.

Williams inscribed his No. 18 with “AMDG,” which stands for “Ad majorem Dei gloriam,” a Latin phrase that translates to “For the greater glory of God.” It is a nod to Williams’ high school, Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., which was founded by the Jesuits in 1821.

Williams shared the photo of Leo and Burch on his Instagram story with the caption “shoutout DAAAA POPEEEE.” The white jersey with orange numbers are uniforms not typically worn by the Bears, which could be an early look at Chicago’s Nike “Rivalries” alternate uniforms that teams from the NFC North and AFC South will don during the 2026 season.

Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, has a close connection to his hometown Chicago sports teams. He was in attendance for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and Houston Astros and received the ball from the final out from former Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski last month. He has also been gifted a signed Paul Konerko jersey and a bat used by White Sox great Nellie Fox.

Williams’ No. 18 isn’t the only Bears jersey in Leo’s collection. The pope was gifted a custom Bears jersey from U.S. Vice President JD Vance days after being elected by the College of Cardinals during the 2025 papal conclave. He also received a Chicago Bulls jersey with No. 14 and “Pope Leo” on the name plate from Bulls radio broadcaster Chuck Swirsky in November.