CBS News correspondent Chris Livesay, traveling with Pope Leo XIV on a trip to Turkey, surprised the pontiff by presenting him with a Louisville Slugger once owned by Chicago White Sox great Nellie Fox. The gift, a prized family heirloom, was given during a Thanksgiving gathering aboard the papal flight, and the Pope — who grew up in Chicago — was amused and grateful.
Livesay said the Pope thanked everyone on board and wished Americans a happy Thanksgiving. When Livesay shook the Pope’s hand and handed over the bat, the pontiff asked how it had been brought through security. Passengers offered the Pope pumpkin and pecan pies as the flight continued on to Turkey, the Pope’s first overseas trip since becoming leader of the Catholic Church in May. The tour will next include Lebanon before his return to Rome.
Livesay noted the bat once belonged to Nellie Fox, the White Sox second baseman who played when the Pope was growing up in Chicago, and joked that if the Pope wants to practice hitting back in Rome he has a glove and can help shag fly balls. Reported by Chris Livesay, CBS News, Ankara, Turkey.