‘Da Pope’ t-shirts commemorate Chicago-born cardinal’s election as the Catholic Church’s next Pope

CHICAGO (WGN) — For the first time in the over 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, an American Cardinal was elected as Pope, and not only is the new Pope American, he’s a Chicagoan, meaning the Windy City has already capitalized on commemorating the historic achievement.

Chicago staple OBVIOUS SHIRTS released a Chicago-themed Pope collection Thursday afternoon, headlined by t-shirts paying homage to the city’s favorite sports team—the Chicago Bears.

“The design came to me in seconds. I researched him right after the announcement and saw he was a Bears fan, so I went with this idea first,” OBVIOUS SHIRTS said about the design. “Couldn’t locate if he was Cubs or Sox, but Chicago has been and will always be a football city, so it was a no-brainer really.

“That and I think DA POPE sounds awesome. [I] was just excited that the pope is not just from America, but Chicago.”

Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago and raised in Dolton, was selected to lead the Catholic Church as their 267th pope. With his election to the papacy, he will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

‘Da Pope’ is a play on the classic moniker ‘Da Bears,’ which is used by Chicago sports fans around the world in reference to their favorite NFL team.

The ‘Da Bears’ originated from a popular SNL skit by Robert Smigel called Bill Swerski’s Superfans in the late 1980s. The characters, played by George Wendt and Smigel, became well known for their exaggerated, drunken, and often Midwest thick accents associated with being a Bears fan, especially when they shouted the moniker and imitated former Bears tight end and Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Ditka.

OBVIOUS SHIRTS’ entire Pope collection can be found by visiting this link.