We were all burned by the AI-generated prank images of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket, but this time, the papal street style is real. In a set of photos that’s sweeping the internet, Pope Leo was well and truly seen in a pair of Nike sneakers, paired with his traditional, priestly robes.
The suddenly ubiquitous images have been taken from Leone a Roma, a Vatican-produced documentary about the Chicago-born pope‘s years in Rome before his ascension to the Catholic church’s highest role, which happened almost a year ago today.
The pontiff’s casual footwear choices, therefore, do not appear to be a secret preference: Though the rules imposed by the church in terms of priestly clothing respect tradition and formality, a film planned for distribution on Vatican media channels was certainly scrutinized for any impropriety. That it’s public news that Pope Leo shared a shoe brand with Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and Cristiano Ronaldo is hardly an accident.