Pope Leo XIV Receives Special Pizza Delivery

Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, recently enjoyed a unique treat at the Vatican—a personal pepperoni pizza from Aurelio’s, a beloved establishment from his childhood in Chicago.

The 69-year-old Pope, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevast, received this surprise while passing through St. Peter’s Square on July 30th. His brother, John Presto, shared that the Pope “devoured” the pizza, clearly loving the nostalgic flavor.

The idea for this delivery reportedly originated from a Midwest friend. Jaden Remias, who creates content for Ohio Catholics, explained that he had been working on a challenge to bring pizza to the Pope for about a month. He traveled to Chicago to pick up the frozen pizzas and delivered them to Madeline Daily in Cincinnati.

During her visit to St. Peter’s Square, Daily caught the Pope’s attention by waving a box of pizza and holding up a sign saying, “We have Aurelio pizza.” Upon seeing this, the Pope appeared to signal his guards to accept the delivery, happily giving a thumbs-up and a big smile.

Remias noted that when the Pope noticed the Aurelio’s logo, his face lit up with excitement. “He seemed very enthusiastic about it,” Remias remarked.

Joe Aurelio, the president and CEO of Aurelio’s Pizza, expressed his astonishment at being able to deliver Chicago pizza to the Pope. He mentioned that Pope Leo has been a loyal customer since the 1960s, making this moment even more special. It’s quite something to see something so dear to him not only recognized but actually shared in such an important place.