The Chicago Bears haven’t won a Lombardi Trophy in almost 40 years. The franchise has struggled with quarterback blunders, coaching changes, and postseason heartbreak since its historic 1985 Super Bowl victory. Once a formidable force in the NFL, with a trophy case full of historic victories and legends, their seasons have turned into an annual exercise in wasted potential and what-ifs. Their last shot? To turn to hope.

In Chicago, people typically save their hope for the weather, the draft, or divine intervention. But since the Vatican has a new Pope who absolutely loses the Bears, perhaps some divine intervention is on the way. In fact, earlier this month, Vice President JD Vance met Pope Leo XIV and gifted him a Bears jersey which had his name, Pope Leo, and the number XIV printed. “Good choice,” Pope told Vance. While the Vatican made no official comment on his sports allegiances, the image of the Chicago-born pope holding a Bears jersey resonated deeply among fans of a franchise long in search of a turning point. And let us not forget how head coach Ben Johnson has stated he “heard rumblings” that the Pope was a fan of his team.

It looks like it is now confirmed, but if you’d ask Chiefs’ Harrison Butker, he believes the team can depend on the Pope’s prayers for a revitalized season. In Nashville, the devoted Catholic kicker talked candidly about his and his kids’ personal bond with the new American pope at a special live episode of The LOOPcast, which included Fr. Mike Schmitz, Michael Knowles, and Matt Walsh. “Hopefully, that’ll help them get deep in the playoffs. A very hard, very tough division, but I think isn’t that cool that our pope is a Bears fan, you know,” Butker said with a smile. “I just think it’s so cool and it’s kind of surreal, you know. I, for all of our children for the next 20, maybe 30 years, they’re going to grow up with a pope who likes the same food as them…so very cool to relate that well to the Pope for sure.”

A spiritual awakening for a franchise that has been stuck in gloom? Why not!

And this wasn’t the first time that Harrison Butker shared his excitement about Pope Leo XIV. He posted a heartfelt post for Pope Leo XIV on Instagram on May 9 to commemorate his election. The post was about hope, rebirth, and faith in organisations that have endured hardships and are still strong. Butker captioned his post with: “O God, the shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look down favorably upon Thy servant Pope Leo XIV… grant, we beseech Thee, that he may benefit both by word and example those over whom he is set, and thus attain unto life eternal, together with the flock committed to his care.”

In fact, the NFL player’s Instagram is filled with posts about faith and religion. What’s interesting is that growing up, he was Christian only in name, as per his own confession. Faith was not a part of his life, but that changed when he met a Georgia Tech student named Grant, who influenced Butker with his own story. Grant was a football player, and once, while practicing, he landed on his head and the doctors gave him less than a 1% chance of surviving. Yet he made it through, and faith became an important part of his life, and his story made Butker deeply emotional.

But coming back to the pope, his ties to Chicago sports run deeper than a single photo op. According to his brother, John Prevost, Pope Leo XIV has long been a White Sox fan and attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. Earlier this month, the White Sox honored him with a graphic installation at Guaranteed Rate Field, acknowledging his attendance at that historic win. His quiet association with the Bears—now affirmed through the symbolic jersey exchange—has offered the team’s supporters a new, if unlikely, emblem of hope.

Silent signals: Is Harrison Butker calling out Travis Kelce?

However, not everyone in Butker’s inner circle might be chanting ‘Amen.’ While it might seem harmless to pray for the Bears, another incident from The LOOPcast is causing tension among the team, specifically for Travis Kelce. Butker criticised the culture of NFL celebrations without naming names, “If our Lord was playing in the NFL… would he be someone scoring a touchdown and then celebrating and dancing, making it all about him?”

The message was clear: Humility should be the response to achievement, not a dance break with the camera in front of you. And that ideology is in direct conflict with Kelce, who loves to face the camera and dance. Kelce’s brand is large, loud, and unapologetic, from his ‘Fight for Your Right’ mic drop during the Super Bowl parade to his imitative goalpost slam (Tony Gonzalez) following his 77th career touchdown. “We all know how iconic it was when he dunked the ball over the goalposts all the time. I gave it my best effort. I’m not sure I did it quite like him,” Kelce said after that game. However, the NFL fined him $14,000 for the iconic dunk.

But Butker favours silent appreciation and skyward finger points. He celebrated with solemnity after making three important kicks in Super Bowl LVIII. And it wasn’t an accident. “Whenever I feel nervous or anxious, I turn to God more than any other time,” he stated.

Safe to say, the kicker with an 89.1% career field goal success rate has built his reputation on precision and poise, not personality. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.