A group of young Catholic influencers teamed up to get Pope Leo XIV his favorite dish from his hometown
Earlier this year, the 69-year-old Chicago native made history as the first American pope
“Seeing the logo made him light up, and his smile was from ear to ear,” Madeline Daley, 22, said of the delivery
Pope Leo XIV has a devout following who always makes sure to deliver — even when it’s pizza!
The 69-year-old Chicago native, previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost before he made history as the first American pope in April, received a special care package from back home that was gifted to him by fans as he rode through Saint Peter’s Square in Rome on Wednesday, July 30.
Footage shared online showed the pope riding in a vehicle, making his way through a crowd. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted with a familiar sight: a sign donning the Aurelio’s Pizza logo.
Madeline Daley, a 22-year-old Cincinnati resident who made the trek to deliver the treat, recounted the viral moment with NBC News.
“When Pope Leo came around, he kept grabbing babies to bless them, but as soon as he saw the pizza, he had babies in his hand, but he’s still saying, like, ‘Get me that pizza, I want that pizza,’ ” she told the outlet in a video interview.
Daley added, “And seeing the logo made him light up, and his smile was from ear to ear and he was extremely excited about it.”
The pope’s brother John Prevost confirmed that the pontiff ate his six-inch Aurelio’s pepperoni pizza, which was shipped using dry ice, the medical unit from Chicago’s WGN-TV reported.
Joe Aurelio, president and CEO of Aurelio’s Pizza, told NBC News he was surprised to see the “amazing” delivery.
“Pope Leo has been a lifetime Aurelio’s fan and going to Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood, Ill., since the 1960s,” the CEO said. “So it’s been part of his life and for him to recognize [the pizza] and actually stop there in the audience was amazing.”
In May, the family-owned pizzeria closed its Chicago South Loop location in what Aurelio described as a decision to help the company “focus on new territories and expand our franchise,” per ABC 7.
The Illinois restaurant chain specializes in thin crust varieties of Chicago-style pizza. Aurelio’s Pizza has three corporate owned stores and 37 franchised locations in six states.
Daley’s friends told WGN-TV they were part of a group of young Catholic influencers who made it their mission to get the pope the pizza.
Jayden Remias of Ohio and Jake Ochave of Virginia traveled to Chicago for the pickup.
“We went to Chicago. It was about a six-to-seven hour drive,” Ochave told the local news station. Daley was then able to help with their group effort by getting the dish to Rome.