A family gifted Pope Leo XIV a Chicago Bears T-shirt. The Pope received the gift during a visit. The family expressed their joy in presenting the Pope with the shirt.
15 days ago
A Chicago family, Marcel and Ann Muñoz and their three children, gained widespread attention after a video of their meeting with Pope Leo XIV went viral 2 3. The encounter took place on Sunday, July 20, 2025, following Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Pancras in Albano, Italy, a town approximately 16 miles south of Rome 2 3. The family had driven 45 minutes from Rome, where the Pope was celebrating Mass near his vacation home at Castel Gandolfo, hoping to catch a glimpse of him 2 3.
During their meeting, the Muñoz family presented Pope Leo XIV with a custom T-shirt that read “Da Pope” 2 3. This phrase is a playful nod to "Da Bears," a well-known reference from the "Superfans" sketches on Saturday Night Live, celebrating the Chicago Bears football team 2 3. The family themselves were also wearing similar custom T-shirts, designed in the Chicago Bears' colors of navy blue with white text and orange lines 2 3.
Marcel Muñoz noted that their distinctive attire likely made them stand out, leading the Pope to approach them directly 2 3. Ann Muñoz expressed feeling "blessed" by the opportunity to be in front of the Pope, hold his hand, and kiss his ring 2 3. As Chicago Bears season-ticket holders, the Muñoz family hopes that this unique encounter will bring good fortune and kick-start a winning season for their favorite professional football team 2 3.
How does the Church view the intersection of faith and culture?
The Catholic Church views the intersection of faith and culture as a dynamic and essential relationship, emphasizing that the Gospel must permeate and transform cultures, while also recognizing that cultures can express and enrich the Christian faith . This interaction is often described as a process of "inculturation" and "evangelization of cultures" .
The Church teaches that the Good News of Christ continually renews human life and culture, combating errors and evils that stem from sin . The Gospel is not bound to any single culture but is intended to pervade all cultures, illuminating them with divine revelation and purifying human conduct . This means that the Church seeks to convert not only individual consciences but also collective consciences, affecting people's criteria of judgment, values, thought patterns, and models of life that may be contrary to God's Word .
Pope John Paul II highlighted that faith in Christ gives cultures a new dimension: hope in God's kingdom. He stated that the Gospel, far from threatening cultures, increases their joy, beauty, freedom, meaning, truth, and goodness . The Church's mission of spreading the Gospel requires that the power of the Gospel permeate thought patterns, standards of judgment, and norms of behavior, essentially steeping the whole of human culture in the Gospel .
Conversely, the Church acknowledges that cultures are essential expressions of humanity and its search for the meaning of life, bringing out the spiritual dimension and the desire to relate to God . The Church, living in various historical conditions, has adopted discoveries from different cultures to spread and explain the message of Christ, understand it more deeply, and express it better in liturgical celebration and the life of the faithful .
Human achievements in culture can play a part in evangelization by symbolically expressing the Christian mystery, helping people grasp aspects of it and encouraging adherence to Christ . A culture penetrated with the Christian spirit becomes an instrument that favors the spreading of the Good News .
The relationship between faith and culture is a constant historical fact and an urgent pastoral responsibility for the entire Church, particularly for the lay faithful . The Second Vatican Council emphasized the many connections between the announcement of salvation and human culture, noting that God has spoken in terms of culture peculiar to different ages .
However, a separation between the Gospel and culture is considered a "tragedy" . Therefore, a generous effort to evangelize cultures is necessary, ensuring that these cultures are given fresh life by their encounter with the Gospel . This process of inculturation is not merely an outward adaptation but an intimate transformation of authentic cultural values by their integration into Christianity, and the planting of Christianity in different human cultures .
The Church strives to bring the Good News to every sector of humanity, converting consciences and filling works, undertakings, and the entire social environment with the light of the Gospel . This mission of evangelizing also advances human culture .
In summary, the Church views the intersection of faith and culture as a vital and reciprocal relationship. The Gospel is meant to transform and elevate cultures, while cultures, in turn, provide avenues for the expression and deeper understanding of the Christian faith. This ongoing dialogue and mutual enrichment are central to the Church's mission of evangelization and integral human development .