This summer, on faith alone, Chuck Swirsky bought an authentic, personalized Bulls jersey at the team store attached to the United Center. He used his employee discount, but the Bulls radio voice paid for it himself.
Swirsky had them put on Pope Leo and the No. 14 on the back and he brought it back to his apartment. He didn’t tell anyone about his top-secret plan.
In the spring and summer of 2025, Chicago had Pope Leo Fever and Swirsky, a devout Catholic and a regular at Holy Name Cathedral, was certainly not immune. He was thrilled to finally have a U.S.-born pope. And for him to be from Chicago, Swirsky’s adopted home, well, that made it even sweeter.
In June, Swirsky even MC’d a mass at Rate Field and “I started to think in my brain, you know, I’d love to get a Bulls jersey to him,” he said.
So he wrote a letter to the Archdiocese of Chicago and declared his intentions. Could they help? This was in August. After months of nothing, he finally got an answer three weeks ago.
“All of a sudden, I get a letter and it says, hey, you know what, you can go into the general audience on Nov. 5,” he said.
Swirsky didn’t really know what that entailed, but he already had the jersey, he got a game off from his bosses, and he flew to Rome. Aside from his supervisor, Susan Goodenow, he told everyone else he needed a personal day. He didn’t want to make a big deal about it, and he didn’t even know if he’d get to personally deliver the jersey.
So a day after the Bulls’ game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Swirsky flew from Newark, N.J., to Rome with no guarantees, just his belief.
He got into Rome on Tuesday afternoon and made his way to Vatican City, where he waited 2 1/2 hours to go through security to get his official ticket to the event. He was handed a yellow envelope, and he quickly found out he was going to be on the stage with hundreds of people, instead of hundreds of thousands in the audience for Pope Leo XIV’s mass at St. Peter’s Square.
“I still didn’t know what exactly that meant, to be honest, but I couldn’t sleep that night in anticipation,” he said.
Bulls radio broadcaster Chuck Swirsky shows off the jersey he made for Pope Leo XIV. (Courtesy of Chuck Swirsky)
The next day, Swirsky was there bright and early, and eventually, he found himself on a stage watching the popemobile wind its way through the masses. He soon realized he’d be 15 feet away from the world’s most famous Chicago sports fan, who had already been gifted a Sox hat and jersey since the summer, and who seemed to be addressing Chicago sports every other day. (He commented on the Cubs’ playoff loss recently and then got a Cubs jersey.)
After an hour-long mass, Pope Leo ministered to the sick and the needy, and he met with cardinals from around the world. And then, Swirsky was told he would be one of the lucky few to have a chance to meet him.
Now, Swirsky is a world-class talker. He is never at a loss for words. And so, despite some nerves, he went right into his spiel.
“I go by myself to the stage and he saw the jersey and he smiled and I introduced myself and I said, this is an honor and a privilege and on behalf of the Bulls organization we want to see you at the United Center or a Sox game,” Swirsky said. “I said, ‘The Bulls, I mean the first-place Bulls,’ and he smiled and he laughed.”
Swirsky was really cooking.
“I said my only disappointment is that I couldn’t bring you Aurelio’s Pizza, and he laughed, and I said, but you know maybe they can get a Portillo’s here in Vatican City, and he laughed again,” Swirsky said. “I was just trying to keep it kind of light.”
Sadly, the pope formerly known as Dolton’s own Robert Prevost didn’t tell Chuck he used to call into his old WCFL talk show, and they didn’t gush about the Bulls’ actual No. 14 — the ascendant Matas Buzelis. But they shared a nice moment and talked for about 2 1/2 minutes, Swirsky said. Because you can’t take pictures, he figured that was the end of it.
And then he got back to his hotel room.
“The next thing I know, my phone starts ringing off the hook,” he said.
That’s how he found out that in the pope’s Instagram slideshow that day, there he was giving the pope a red Bulls jersey. His secret mission was now very public.
An incredible day at the Vatican. Presenting Chicago’s very own Pope Leo 14th with an authentic, iconic @chicagobulls jersey . It was a moment I will never forget and truly blessed that I had this opportunity. I appreciate the Bulls and @670TheScore for allowing me to miss a… pic.twitter.com/EaJzkzGX5j
— chuck swirsky (@ctsbulls) November 5, 2025
While Swirsky had connections — he had talked to Father Patrick Gorman, the administrative secretary to Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop for the Chicago Archdiocese, about the plan — he said he didn’t ask for any favors to make his dream happen. He just had his faith. And, as he would say, some “onions” to take his shot.
“I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that this was a divine intervention of the Holy Spirit allowing me to meet Pope Leo,” Swirsky said.
He added: “Did I go in thinking that this was going to happen? No. Was I praying that it would happen? Yes.”
Sometimes prayers do come true. And just in case he ever needs a reminder, Swirsky framed the pope’s Instagram post and the yellow envelope in his apartment.
“I can honestly say other than the birth of my children, this was the greatest single event in my life,” he said.
Life goes on. On Friday afternoon, Swirsky was on a train to Milwaukee for the first-place Bulls’ next game. He could have floated the entire way.