When Pope Leo XIV spotted the familiar red-and-white Aurelio’s Pizza box amid the crowd at St. Peter’s Square on July 30, his reaction was immediate and unmistakable. The Chicago native signaled to his security detail to accept the delivery, his face lighting up with recognition. Even while continuing to greet pilgrims, the pontiff kept reaching for the box—a moment of pure, unguarded joy that captured hearts worldwide and earned him the playful nickname “Pope Pieus.
From Chicago Streets to Vatican Steps
The extraordinary delivery began as a challenge by Catholic content creator Jayden Remias, who picked up a frozen Aurelio’s pizza in Chicago with an ambitious goal: get it to the Pope. Through careful coordination, the pizza traveled from the Midwest to Rome via a relay system involving several friends, culminating when Madeline Daley personally handed the box to Pope Leo during his papal audience.
The Pizza Details:
- Personal-size pepperoni pie—Pope Leo’s reported favorite since the 1960s
- Sourced from Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood, Illinois, the Pope’s longtime haunt
- Classic Chicago thin-crust style (not deep dish), featuring the pizzeria’s signature square-cut slices
- Delivered frozen, then prepared for the special Vatican moment
- Part of a menu tradition dating back to Aurelio’s 1959 founding
A Papal Pizza Moment Goes Viral
The significance wasn’t lost on Aurelio’s president Joe Aurelio, who witnessed decades of the future Pope’s loyalty to their family pizzeria. “Pope Leo has been a lifetime Aurelio’s fan… So it’s been part of his life and for him to recognize [the pizza] and actually stop there in the audience was amazing,” Aurelio reflected.
This wasn’t merely a publicity stunt but a genuine connection to home for America’s first pope. Born in Chicago and raised in suburban Dolton, Pope Leo XIV has frequented Aurelio’s since childhood, making this delivery a poignant bridge between his South Side roots and his new role leading the global Catholic Church.
The moment resonates beyond religious circles, embodying how comfort food transcends geography and status. Whether it’s a neighborhood pizzeria or the Vatican, certain flavors carry the power to transport anyone—even a pope—back home.
