Ben Shapiro on Pope Leo XIV: ‘This is a man who truly lives in joy.’

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ben shapiro pope Leo XIV
Ben Shapiro during the Wednesday Audience at St Peter square. Credit: Screehshot

Ben Shapiro, founder of The Daily Wire, host of the popular Ben Shapiro Show, and a major figure among American conservatives. Though not Catholic, he appeared visibly thrilled when greeting Pope Leo XIV during Wednesday’s General Audience.

Newsroom, June 20, 2025, Gaudium Press — The founder of The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro, who is not Catholic, greeted Pope Leo XIV during the General Audience held on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Square.

Due to many aspects of his life—especially having spent much of it outside the United States—Pope Prevost is often described as an American who’s “not very American.” This is, of course, a way of suggesting he has acquired a universal character. Still, it remains true that one is always from where one is born.

This sentiment is also felt in the U.S., where many rightly take pride that one of their own now occupies the Chair of Peter.

One such example is Ben Shapiro, founder of The Daily Wire, host of the popular Ben Shapiro Show, and a major figure among American conservatives. Though not Catholic, he appeared visibly thrilled when greeting Pope Leo XIV during Wednesday’s General Audience.

His own media outlet, The Daily Wire, offered a charming summary of the brief encounter.

Shapiro thanked the Pope for his “strength in defending biblical values in a dark world.”

Then, trying to build a bridge with the Pontiff’s Chicago roots, he jokingly said: “Also, I’ve been a lifelong fan of the White Sox [Chicago’s MLB team]. So even though you’re Catholic and I’m Jewish, I think one miracle we can both agree on is the White Sox winning the 2005 World Series.”

Shapiro then offered Pope Leo a personal gift: “He smiled at my comment and then I handed him a baseball signed by the 2005 White Sox team. He asked if it was a gift and seemed surprised and delighted when I said yes—you can see that in the video footage.”

The political commentator also made a psychological observation about the Pope: “I think this is a man who truly lives in joy.”

“The Pope is, as expected, deeply humble,” Shapiro added. “You can sense that from him instantly.”

By Saúl Castiblanco. 

Compiled by Gustavo Kralj

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